For those who don’t know, ThinApp is basically an an application that “virtualizes” an application of your choice. It looks at an app, crunches all the information on it, figures out what dependencies and Windows ‘environment’ is ideal for it to run, and creates a little ‘virtualization’ package for it to run in. The beauty in it is that you can then run the new ‘packaged’ application independent of the OS it was built or running on. You can get the skinny on the new version here, but the benefits should seem pretty obvious right now as to why this would be ideal for Windows 7 migration.

VMware ThinApp may also offer some financial benefits. With Windows 7 adoption starting to pick up, businesses need compatibility like crazy, and as little down time as possible. Internal apps that were written way-back-when might need to still run in Windows 7, without having a development team write a new version. In theory, ThinApp 4.5 addresses that need — saving time and money while protecting your customers’ application investments.

In a press release, VMware claims:

“VMware data shows that leveraging ThinApp 4.5 for application virtualization can reduce the costs associated with migration by as much as 25% while migrating systems up to 40% faster by accelerating the application compatibility, testing and deployment processes required for application migration…”

VMware ThinApp 4.5 new features include:

• Broad Windows 64-bit support – supports 32-bit and 64-bit Windows from NT to Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2.
• An upgrade path from older ThinApp Applications with Relink; convert existing ThinApps to the new ThinApp 4.5 format without the need of associated project files for the applications.
• Advanced Performance Accelerator – reduced page file usage for virtual applications allows for quicker application invocation and reduces network bandwidth by as much as 50%.
• Secure Registry Journaling Protection – ensure registry file integrity and eliminate potential data corruption due to crash or system failure.
• Enhanced Community Support – enables sharing of application packaging status and techniques in the ThinApp Community Portal.

VMware also noted that ThinApp streamlines “application security, updates, patches and performance” and can ‘instantly’ deliver that new packaged app to nearly any device.

You can get your hands on ThinApp 4.5 “generally” on March 17, 2010. It’ll be available through the traditional places like VMware sales, OEM partners and channel partners. The price tag? The entire ThinApp Suite is (US)$5,000.00. But VMware ThinApp is also bundled in View Premier for $250 per concurrent user.

We’ll be watching to see if ThinApp helps VARs with their Windows 7 migration projects.

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If you didn’t know, Microsoft is positioning IE 9 to have some advanced features, like supporting HTML5 and hardware accelerated image creation through Direct X’s ‘Direct 2D’ introduced in Windows 7 (Microsoft’s rendering platform.) That’s part of the reason IE 9 won’t run on XP. But there’s also a far more basic explanation.

According to PCMag.com ’s Michael Muchmore probing of the IE9 Team :

“Windows XP users have a fast, safe, reliable and private browser in Internet Explorer 8…[but] browsers should require the modern graphics and security infrastructure that has come along since 2001. Internet Explorer 9 requires the modern graphics and security underpinnings that have come since 2001, and is intended to be run on a modern operating system….”

And how modern is modern? Well, IE9 preview won’t run on anything less than Windows Vista SP 2. That special Windows 7 Direct 2D rendering platform actually got added to Vista in SP2, so you’re in luck. Muchmore also poked around to see if Microsoft thought about doing a non-Windows version of IE9 — because once upon a time Microsoft developed IE for Mac. He reported that Internet Explorer General Manager Dean Hachamovitch gave a resounding “No.”

So what does that mean for the bulk of Windows XP users in the wild? Well, there are still plenty of “modern” browsers that’ll run on an ‘antiquated’ operating system. Chrome, Opera, and Safari are just a few to mention. But just because Microsoft is ditching their browser support of their dying creation, doesn’t mean that  XP is really ‘dying.’ Once upon a time I mentioned how 3rd party people breathe new life into old operating systems (like Mac OS 9).

Still, it’s worth noting that XP is a nearly 10-year-old operating system and the last service pack  released for it was nearly two years ago. I think it’s time for XP curmudgeons to at least take a gander at Windows 7. We know you held out through the Vista madness, but it’s really time to upgrade…

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Virtualization Manager 2010 Corporate has been designed with — you guessed it — the corporate environment in mind. It strives to provide easy and versatile high-end migration capabilities in corporate  Windows environments. In other words, it’s designed for Windows-based computer systems that need to be transferred to different environment. And we’re not talking just physical, you can swap that image anywhere — physical to virtual, virtual to physical, physical to physical or virtual to virtual.

Anyone’s who’s done a simple hard drive swap knows it’s driver hell getting that Windows system to boot again, so that’s where Paragon’s Smart Driver Injector comes in.  The injector apparently does exactly what’d you expect, inject the right drivers fast and easy. Meanwhile, “an online processing of locked (in-use) hard disks enables migration” without having to reboot Windows and interrupt the image transfer.

How does the rest of the stuff work? With Paragon’s fancy unique software of course, including…

Paragon Adaptive Restore solves boot problems after an unsuccessful migration attempt by a third party by enabling users to make any Win2K system bootable on dissimilar hardware through automatic injection of all required drivers.

Paragon VIM (Virtual Image Management) enables the user to work with virtual disks as if they are actual physical hard disks.

Connect VD (Virtual Disk) is the latest functionality based on Paragon VIM that provides easy and efficient access to virtual disks directly from the program’s interface.

All of it’s designed for “Smooth and cost-effective system migration,” according to Tom Fedro, president of Paragon Software Group.

There’s a list a mile long of all the key features, but here’s a few good ones:

• Supports any Windows OS since Windows 2000, including Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2
• Supports major virtual machines, including Virtual Server & Hyper-V R1/R2, VMware ESX Server, Sun Virtual Box, Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 and Virtual PC 7, VMware Player, and Workstation 4.0 and Fusion 1.0-3.0
• Recovers the OS startup ability after unsuccessful virtualization by a 3rd party tool or different hardware platform
• VD Data Transfer — exchanges data between physical environments and virtual ones or between a virtual disk and its snapshots
• Hot processing of locked (in-use) hard disks to migrate a computer without rebooting and interrupting Windows

If you want to get it, it’s out now. Plus, Paragon Software is also has their hand in the mobile productivity applications for devices, if you’re interested…

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Never heard of Birst? We weren’t very familiar with the company. Then we spent some time checking out their management team — which includes seasoned veterans who previously worked at Hyperion, Oracle, SAP and Siebel Systems — among other data management-centric software companies.

Instead of focusing on the traditional BI market, Birst targets SaaS opportunities. Birst claims  the SaaS-centric BI market will grow three times faster than the overall BI market, due to all the usual bonuses of leveraging a cloud solution: lower TCO, less time to deploy, and easier to scale.

For their partners, Birst provides a customized training roadmap, best-practices sales and marketing tutorials, and implementation and support processes. The company points to the usual “recurring revenue” benefits when describing SaaS to partners. But we’ve got to spend a bit more time investigating how Birst’s SaaS approach differs from other SaaS options on the market.

And yes, plenty of BI companies are getting into SaaS. In addition to the usual closed-source options, open source upstarts like Jaspersoft and Pentaho (two members of The VAR Guy’s Open Source 50) have been gaining some SaaS partner momentum.

It’s true that many resellers haven’t quite figured out how to cash in on SaaS yet, but the market’s still showing explosive growth as VARs, MSPs, and enterprises alike figure out how efficient cloud deployments can be.

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Cloudvox is all about letting service providers roll their own voice applications like internal 411-style directories – and that capability is now expanded by the ability to have a single app that can be called from countries Europe, Asia, and South Africa. This opens the door for ISVs and VARs to do business in markets otherwise totally inaccessible.

An additional bonus for Cloudvox developers is the ability to have your application initiate a conference call. Through that API, your software can route callers into conferences, remove specific participants, record conversations, or even play an MP3 file.

Of course, Ifbyphone itself already offers a suite of phone applications. But rolling your own VoIP application just makes sense for some ISVs: if you already have the programming expertise, nothing’s ever going to work the way you want it to unless you build it yourself.

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In some ways, Landscape is similar to remote monitoring and management tools for the Windows market, where software companies like Kaseya, Level Platforms, N-able and Zenith Infotech promote their wares to VARs and MSPs (managed services providers).

Landscape started out as a SaaS-based tool (Hosted Edition), but more recently Canonical has started promoting an on-premises version (Dedicated Server Edition). It’s available free of charge with all of Canonical’s server support contracts. And for those who don’t have support contracts, a Landscape service subscription costs $150 per node per year.

Sounds simple enough. But where do VARs fit in? So far, the answer to that question is still emerging. Before Landscape can take off with solutions providers, Canonical’s Ubuntu partner channel needs to gain critical mass.

That partner program scored two small — but significant — wins in February 2010, when a key integrator (The Linux Box) vowed to promote Ubuntu. Plus, Canonical channel partners gained a potential foothold into the government market.

Next Moves

Still, Canonical needs to more effectively connect the channel dots between Ubuntu and Landscape. That effort could begin to happen on March 18, when two key Landscape evangelists (Product Manager Ken Drachnik and Engineer Andreas Hasenack) demonstrate Landscape’s cloud management capabilities to potential customers and partners.

No doubt, this is a high-stress time for the Canonical team. Most of the company is focused on getting Ubuntu 10.04 out the door in April. But additional Canonical factions are working hard to shape the company’s online services — which include the Ubuntu One storage service and forthcoming music service.

New CEO Jane Silber and new COO Matt Asay — working closely with Canonical founder and Chairman Mark Shuttleworth — certainly have their hands full. Ubuntu 10.04 is the top priority. But channel partners that want to proactively manage their Ubuntu customer networks need to keep an eye on Landscape.

The big question: Will Landscape be a tool that VARs re-sell into customer settings? Or will VARs leverage Landscape to keep customers’ networks and private clouds humming along? Ideally, the answer to both questions is yes. But Canonical needs to do a better job explaining how partners can potentially monetize Landscape opportunities.

The VAR Guy will keep listening for clues.

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First, let’s rewind a bit. What exactly inspired today’s tirade from The VAR Guy? Lack of sleep, plus three lattes, plus a bunch of unsolicited notes from aspiring social media gurus who, um, spend too much time on Facebook.

No doubt, there are some real social media pros helping VARs and solutions providers. Stuart Crawford comes to mind. After a successful run as a solutions provider, Crawford is now part of ulistic — a company that advises Calgary businesses on various social media strategies. Another name to know: David Meerman Scott, author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR. He wrote that book before most “pundits” typed their first Tweet.

Now, let’s assume you’re a solutions provider that’s trying to bolster your social media presence. How can you find a truly helpful coach rather than a pretenda? Here are seven signs you might be dealing with a social media fraud:

1. I Say I Lead, But I Really Follow: Check the coach’s Twitter feed. If the guru is following 2,000 people but has fewer than 2,000 followers, then the guru just failed the most basic Twitter rule of all: Following too many people too fast, in a vain attempt to gain more followers.

If you follow 2,000 people BEFORE 2,000 people follow you, then Twitter basically freezes your account until you either (A) stop following a few folks or (B) more people start following you.

If all that sounds confusing just remember this: If the guru seems to be following people just to get followed, you know you’re working with a follower — not a leader. Got that?

2. I Can’t Automate Feeds From A Blog to RSS to Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter: The best social media gurus spend most of their time running their own communities — and automating their messages out to third-party systems like FaceBook and Twitter.

Sure, gurus pop into FaceBook from time to time. But if the expert can’t automate the way information flows from your web site to third-party social media sites, then you’re dealing with a fraud.

3. I Forget the True Purpose of Social Media: The true purpose of social media is to serve as a highway, and drive conversations back to your business Web site. The idea is to use FaceBook, Twitter and LinkedIn as highways to your home page or corporate site.

If the Social Media guru offers Twitter advice before spending time analyzing your web site, you’re dealing with a fraud.

4. I Don’t Know the Difference Between WordPress and Blogger.com: Quick, quiz your social media coach about WordPress, Blogger.com, Ning, Drupal and other common platforms. What are the major similarities? Major differences? Pricing models? Hosting models? Hmmm… Lots of questions. Does your guru have the answers?

5. I’m A Pro… But I Can’t Prove It: Quick, ask your guru for three examples of his or her social media success. Got a blog site that has hundreds of inbound links? Build a community where the dialog never stops? Ask your guru for those types of examples.

Oh, and ask for examples of search engine optimization that land on the first page of Google search results.

6. I Blog A Lot… But I Don’t Know How to Measure Success: So, how exactly does a social media guru measure his or her success helping clientele? Number of media hits? Number of leads? And how are leads measured? Social media results can be pretty abstract and hard to define. But try your best to define metrics for success.

7. I Change My Identity. Constantly: My Twitter ID changes every week. I shift from one blog URL to a new blog URL every few weeks. My web site design shifts constantly because I use free templates that everybody else uses and they grow old quickly.

Find a guru who actually spent a few bucks designing a nice online presence of their own. If the guru can’t afford to invest a few bucks in his or her online presence, then chances are the guru isn’t much of a guru.

Exit, Stage Left

Sorry for the rant. It’s been building for about two years. The VAR Guy is now done with his third latte of the day. And he’s done with this blog entry. Best wishes for a successful online presence.

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• Related posts are coming soon

TomcatExpert.com, as it were, is a “professionally managed Apache Tomcat resource library and community.” Fancy. Who’s hanging out there? Well, developers, system administrators and web operations professionals that are developing and operating Apache Tomcat. And what info is available to them? Why, only the best from “recognized leaders” of the Tomcat platform. And since it was created by SpringSource, you’ll be getting support, training services and insight from various experts, deep knowledge base, and reliability. TomcatExpert.com is operated by development operating expert inside SpringSource itself.

SpringSource says they’re expecting the site to be the single go-to-one-stop place for all your Apache Tomcat needs, be it troubleshooting to application server deployment. And that’s kind of a big deal, because, as the press release needs to remind you — Apache Tomact is the “world’s most widely used Java application server…” and “SpringSource employees” are credited with 95% of bux fixes to Apache Tomcat in the last two years. Plus, a good handful of Tomcat problem incidents are noted and fixed by SpringSource before they reach the community. SpringSource says it’s resulted in a 97% renewal rate for Tomcat support. Sounds pretty impressive.

And maybe it’s silly to say, but it almost seems like SpringSource loves Tomcat so much, the site is actually a gift. here’s Matt Stodolnic, senior director of marketing for SpringSource:

“To show our continued support for Apache Tomcat technologies, SpringSource has created a one-stop-shop for Apache Tomcat users to gain access to expert resources, discussion topics and technical support…TomcatExpert.com will give its users an insight into the tips and tricks to make management and administration of Apache Tomcat easier, faster and more productive.”

You can almost hear him beaming, can’t you?

Whatever is the case, TomcatExpert.com is already booming, so head on over and get your virtualized app on.

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Wanova is making some waves with Wanova Mirage, a “Distributed Desktop Virtualization” solution. Like many of these solutions, they’re designed for IT professionals or channel partners to help centrally manage virtual desktops, while “protecting the remote connection” between the mobile PC or end-user device. And the reason for this solution? Well…

Wanova says that laptops have outpaced desktops in the enterprise market, but the virtualization technology hasn’t caught up to take advantage of remote users. They noted that, according to Gartner, managing mobile users is going to become a cost-heavy priority by 2015.

If/when that urgent need surfaces, Wanova Mirage wants to ease the transition. You can automatically back up, restore remote users, migrate hardware and maintain security compliance. The goal, of course, is to reduce that projected cost of IT support (which is a little more than $7,000 a year per notebook computer.) Wanova plans on doing that by charging customers $210 an “endpoint” and it’ll drop off as your volume increases.

So what are the features that makes Mirage stand out?

Mirage takes a unique approach to desktop virtualization, by ‘layering each desktop’ into 3 components. First, it’s your standard base, clean, spiffed up, driver-ready core OS image, apps included. Then, it’s a ‘layer’ of personalization, your own coat of paint, if you will. Your personal applications live here, and so does the machines ’state’. And lastly, you’ve got your user layer, which is your physical files and data. The virtualization sandwich — as it were — is dubbed the “Centralized Virtual Desktop” or CVD for short. CVDs are hardware agnostic, which means you can move them around. And that means fast deployment, in minutes.

The press release offers some interesting uses like…

Hardware Migration: If a user needs to move to a new computer – even one from a different manufacturer – the CVD can be transferred to the new device, and the user can be up and running in minutes with full personalization and all previously installed applications.

Single-Image Management: IT can manage, patch and ensure compliance with one Base Image, which can be easily deployed and continually enforced to hundreds of endpoints, while retaining user personalization. Offline users will be automatically updated when they reconnect.

Business Continuity: IT can load a CVD into a physical or virtual machine for troubleshooting, or re-image an endpoint in minutes instead of hours or days, without deleting user-installed applications or settings.

Data Protection: Because the primary copy of the entire desktop contents resides in the datacenter, organizations can easily create backups, with snapshots for point-in-time restores. Desktop streaming delivers a snapshot to a broken endpoint and has the end user up and running in minutes. End users can also restore single files themselves, further reducing support costs, and companies retain employees’ valuable data even when they leave.

Obviously, the uses don’t stop there, but you get the idea. This is virtualization doing what it should be doing, making life easier.

Wanova Mirage has potential. Be on the look out. We will.

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No doubt, VARStreet has a loyal following among a few hundred VARs and solutions providers, who use the system for real-time distributor pricing, online storefronts, and other automation services. Several sources in the distribution industry say VARStreet’s technology works as advertised. And as Autotask CEO Bob Godgart says, VARStreet “gives us a complete e-commerce toolset for VARs.”

That’s why Autotask decided to acquire the company. On paper, the deal (explained more fully on MSPmentor) makes perfect sense: Autotask specializes in PSA (professional services automation software), which allows MSPs (managed services providers) to automate their internal business processes. By integrating VARStreet with Autotask, those MSPs potentially gain a single dashboard for product lifecycle management, as well as managing distributor relationships, business processes and customer engagements.

In other words, VARStreet potentially allows Autotask to push beyond the traditional MSP conversation, appealing to a broader audience of VARs, resellers and solutions providers.

Before: Good Technology, Missed Opportunities

Still, The VAR Guy can’t ignore VARStreet’s historic potholes. No doubt, VARStreet remains well-known among some solutions providers, but the company’s online platform never exactly became a “huge hit” with the channel.

Some of the problems stretch back to the dot-com era. VARStreet was launched in 1999 and allegedly consumed roughly $20 million in research and development. In its early days, VARStreet allowed “over 400 technology providers to serve 100,000 Corporate, Federal, State, and Local Government end customers.”

One hundred thousand customers? Hmmm… That’s a big, bold statement. VARStreet’s technology worked. But in many respects, VARStreet’s sales and marketing efforts never fulfilled the company’s early promise.

Anyone who checked VARStreet.com yesterday (March 16, 2010) would have noticed that the company’s corporate site hadn’t been updated since 2006. No news. No developments. No social media. Nothing. Elsewhere, a VARStreet relationship with Everything Channel, announced in 2008, launched and dissolved  with hardly a notice. It was as if VARStreet was stuck in a time capsule, gasping for fresh air and fresh ideas.

After: Time for an Overhaul

Autotask quietly unlocked that time capsule three months ago, acquiring VARStreet and overhauling the website. The overhauled site and new logo debuted today (March 17, 2010). Next up, Autotask plans to integrate VARStreet with the Autotask platform. More details should emerge during the Autotask Community Live conference, which starts April 18 in Miami.

Although VARStreet hadn’t done much marketing or branding in recent years, Autotask CEO Bob Godgart says VARStreet is profitable. And sources say Autotask’s buyout of VARStreet involved “millions” of dollars, and taking on the VARStreet staff. Godgart declines to discuss headcount for VARStreet, but he says the combined companies have about 175 employees.

Speaking of Opportunity

Godgart offers additional perspectives in this FastChat video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The video discussion covers:

• 0:00: Introduction
• 0:15: A quick overview of Autotask buying VARStreet
• 0:48: What the VARStreet platform does
• 1:50: What the deal means to Autotask customers, VARStreet customers and the broader VAR market
• 3:11: A single dashboard for product and service management?
• 3:45: Integrating VARStreet with Autotask
• 4:00: Where to find more information
• 4:23: Conclusion

High Energy

Godgart sure sounds upbeat. And on paper, the Autotask-VARStreet combo sounds promising.

Still, The VAR Guy needs to provide some balance here: VARStreet has spent a decade trying to become the de-facto e-commerce system for the IT channel. A few hundred VARs jumped on the bandwagon, and many of them speak highly of VARStreet. But lack of sales and marketing prowess always held VARStreet back.

The VAR Guy will be watching to see if that changes under Autotask’s ownership.

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The Laurus customer portal strives to provide “total control and visibility of a[customer's] hardware installations, track asset depreciation and book value, and manage configuration and software licensing information.”

Translation: Laurus is managing valuable business information for its customers — the type of data points that companies crave for their accounting, financial management and IT planning. With that type of “stickiness,” The VAR Guy believes the portal could be a key tool for customer retention.

Oh, and there’s a managed services hook here, too. Laurus says the portal “also provides administrative access to Managed Services and SaaS offerings including hosted messaging, email archiving, remote backup and disaster-recovery services.”

Hmmm… But what’s really in it for customers? Laurus claims the portal offers customers five key benefits:

1. Reduced cost of managing IT assets by leveraging the portal as a  platform and vendor–independent central repository for all vendor maintenance contracts and managed services.
2. The ability to manage customized asset data as well as the relationships between assets.
3. Productivity gains through self-service capabilities.
4. Proactive advance notification of contract expiration, warranty expiration and “End of Service” dates.
5. Powerful tracking and reporting tools for asset management.

But does the portal work as advertised? Laurus officially announced the portal on March 3. The VAR Guy will check in with the company in a few weeks to see how customers are taking to the system.

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The simple answer involves the SUSE Linux Appliance program. The VAR Guy can’t go into deep details — not just yet — but there are anecdotal signs that more and more software developers are jumping on the SUSE Linux Appliance bandwagon. So-called software appliances are pre-configured combinations of an application, middleware and operating system integrated into a single image. In theory, that software appliance approach helps to speed sales cycles and software deployments.

Novell introduced the SUSE Linux Appliance program back in August 2009. Initial reaction from ISVs was strong. Fast forward to the present, and The VAR Guy expects quite a few more ISVs to surface at BrainShare. In fact, he practically guarantees it. The bottom line: Customer demand for SUSE Linux could keep ISVs loyal to Novell, even as Novell’s board considers a potential company sale.

One Fix, Multiple Challenges

In theory, the SUSE Linux Appliance program and SUSE Studio efforts have addressed one of Novell’s oldest challenges: ISV relations.

In the 1990s, Novell’s ISV efforts were poor at best, as NetWare failed to become a general purpose operating system and UnixWare failed to gain critical mass. More recently, Novell SUSE Linux has attracted a strong ISV crowd, but most pundits (including The VAR Guy, an alleged pundit at best) think Red Hat has enjoyed dramatically stronger ISV support.

But for the first time in a long time, Novell has a good ISV story to tell … and it’s all built around the appliance efforts. Again, sorry The VAR Guy is being a bit vague. But he’ll pull back the curtain on this story a bit more during BrainShare.

In the meantime, Novell faces plenty of additional challenges…

What’s the Deal?

For starters, Novell’s board must consider an unsolicited takeover bid from Elliott Associates, a hedge fund that values Novell at about $2 billion. The VAR Guy’s best guess: Novell’s board will offer some sort of update on the bid before BrainShare starts. Otherwise, the Novell-Elliott Associates situation could become a major distraction at the conference.

Also, Novell must somehow reassure investors, customers and partners that the company is more than a Linux provider. Novell is betting its business on a so-called Intelligent Workload Management strategy. On paper, the strategy makes sense. But Novell’s brands in identity management and security aren’t nearly as strong as Novell’s SUSE Linux brand. It makes you wonder: Can Novell really ever put all of its product puzzle pieces together to form one comprehensive solution?

Hmmm… Perhaps The VAR Guy (and partners) need to settle for smaller signs of progress.

• First, Novell needs to address the Elliott Associates takeover bid. The VAR Guy bets that will happen on or before March 21 — the start of BrainShare.
• Next, Novell needs to provide a clear business strategy during BrainShare. That’s a tall order…
• …And within that strategy, Novell needs to highlight new SUSE Linux partners. The VAR Guy practically guarantees that will occur.

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