Register now for this one-hour June 12 event, which starts at 2pm eastern. Hosted by The VAR Guy’s sister site, MSPmentor, the event will show MSPs how to avoid some of the commodity pricing battles occurring in the managed services market right now.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Scott Goemmel, co-founder and partner, PMV Technologies (#15 on the MSPmentor 100)
• Nick Vossburg, CEO, TechAssist (#20 on the MSPmentor 100)
• Jim Alves, executive VP, Marketing, Kaseya
• Joe Panettieri, editorial director, MSPmentor

Registration is simple. And the event will truly be an interactive opportunity for you to ask MSPmentor’s guest speakers your most pressing questions.

You can tune in June 12 for MSPmentor Live: CEO Exchange. And then tune back in on June 25, when MSPmentor Live: CEO Exchange returns with such featured guests as Autotask CEO Bob Godgart.

First, the good news: When set up and configured correctly, TelePresence delivers the goods. The VAR Guy has participated in several TelePresence demonstrations, and they are spectacular. In a typical demo, participants sitting in two separate TelePresence conference rooms feel as if they’re part of one virtual room, sitting only a few feet — rather than thousands of miles — from each other.

In a best-case scenario, TelePresence can help companies to vastly trim their travel expenses, and it can improve corporate communications — allowing people from multiple regions to have true eye-to-eye contact and rich conversations without having to get on a plane.

Sounds great. But TelePresence also has its drawbacks. Generally speaking, a TelePresence conference room designed by one company (say, Cisco System) can’t work with a TelePresence conference room designed by another company (for instance, Hewlett-Packard). Also, TelePresence conference rooms can cost $300,000 or more to set up, plus annual support costs can exceed six figures.

Tuning In

Still, TelePresence is beginning to find a home in corporations, thanks to several key developments.

First, small, nimble companies like LifeSize have been introducing aggressively priced systems. Second, Cisco is working to have TelePresence systems deployed in major hotel conference centers. The result: Small business owners and deep pocketed companies alike will be able to pay an hourly fee to reserve time on TelePresence systems across the globe.

It’s easy to imagine corporate board members scattered across the globe heading to TelePresence centers — rather than getting on planes — to discuss urgent business matters over secure IP video connections.

It’s still early in the TelePresence game. Only a few dozen VARs and integrators across the globe really know how to sell, service and support TelePresence systems. Within the next 12 to 18 months, though, The VAR Guy expects that number to increase dramatically.

Get ready to get in while the getting’s good.

During a conference The VAR Guy attended earlier today, a senior VP from a major U.S. bank described how consumer social network technologies are moving into business. For instance, employees at the bank are now testing social networks to better align business with IT, especially in the area of business analytics and business intelligence.

The VAR Guy has heard similar stories across the IT industry. Cisco Systems, for instance, has built social networks to help customers interact with unified communication software providers.

A few hours after today’s conference ended, The VAR Guy started reading reports about Microsoft potentially pursuing Facebook.

The VAR Guy was bearish about the proposed Microsoft-Yahoo business combo (which Microsoft has since abandoned), but he does see real potential for a Microsoft-Facebook combo. In addition to the corporate implications outlined above, Facebook would also strengthen Microsoft’s brand with pre-corporate consumers — otherwise known as kids, teenagers and college students.

Face it (for Facebook it): When it comes to being hip, Microsoft badly trails companies like Apple and Google. Kids don’t crave Windows Vista and Office. Instead, they burn their savings on iPhones, iPods and iTunes. And they live in social networks.

So go ahead, Microsoft: Pursue Facebook. You’ve got The VAR Guy’s blessing.

1. Sun and MySQL: Last year, Sun and MySQL each had a major presence at Ubuntu Live. This year, Sun owns MySQL. And it’s a good bet Sun will use the Ubuntu Live conference to describe its server and open source applications strategy.

2. Speaking of Servers: Sun is the first major server vendor to certify its systems for Ubuntu. Dell supports Ubuntu on the desktop, but Dell doesn’t have any Ubuntu server plans — at the moment. If another major server vendor was to back Ubuntu, The VAR Guy would expect the announcement at Ubuntu Live. (And he’d also expect updates from established Ubuntu server specialists, like System76.)

3. Back to the Desktop: Oh, and let’s not forget that Ubuntu is the fastest-growing Linux distribution. Ubuntu came preinstalled on The VAR Guy’s Dell PC. And the Ubuntu Live conference will provide an ideal stage for Canonical Founder Mark Shuttleworth to describe Ubuntu 8.04’s progress since it’s April 2008 release.

4. Going Mobile With Intel: The VAR Guy loves his iPhone. And he looks forward to next-generation devices built around Google Android. But the dark horse in the mobile Internet device market is Ubuntu. Indeed, Canonical and Intel are working on Ubuntu Mobile devices. We should expect extensive updates at this event.

5. PC Peers: During the 2007 Ubuntu Live event, The VAR Guy speculated that Hewlett-Packard would begin Ubuntu preloads. Alas, our resident blogger was wrong. But HP has custom-loaded Ubuntu on selected systems for major customer wins. And if more PC makers are going to climb aboard the Ubuntu bandwagon, Ubuntu Live is the place to announce it.

Sure, Ubuntu Live is still a few months away. But circle July 21 and 22. The VAR Guy will be blogging live — non-stop — from the event.

(Full Disclosure: The VAR Guy is a media partner for Ubuntu Live, which basically means he’ll be attending the event without paying admission. But no, he’s not on the Ubuntu or Canonical payroll. He genuinely likes the operating system, and had a hand in launching Works With U, a new media site focused entirely on Ubuntu.)

Microsoft is at its best when the company is forced to play catch-up. Think about the early days of Mac OS vs. Windows. Or Netscape vs. Internet Explorer. Or Oracle vs. SQL Server. Ultimately, Microsoft always finds a way to get back in the game.

Microsoft has a lot of distractions and interests these days — operating systems, applications, tools, Xbox, etc. — so getting back in the game against Google won’t be easy. But a merger with Yahoo would have been a major distraction inside Microsoft, inside Yahoo and across the IT landscape.

Some IT acquisitions certainly pay dividends. Cisco Systems and Oracle both have mastered the art of buying and digesting key companies. But the vast majority of mergers and acquisitions do little to propel tech companies forward, The VAR Guy believes. Instead, they wind up being a drag on employees, customers and perhaps even shareholders.

For The VAR Guy, Cisco is the ultimate bellwether tech stock. The company ranks among the leaders in so many growth markets (unified communications, VoIP, storage, security, etc.) that Cisco provides a pretty good reality check to overall enterprise IT sales.

When CEO Chambers last fall said enterprise sales looked lumpy, a few folks pressed the panic button. Since that time, Cisco has sounded reasonably optimistic amid the uneven economy.

Meanwhile, several networking companies — Alcatel-Lucent, Extreme Networks, Netgear, etc. — have delivered weak results in recent weeks. It begs the question: Is Cisco — or the economy — crushing those companies?

The VAR Guy still doesn’t have a clear answer to that question. But the continued success of Juniper and a potential upside story at Nortel (notes blogger Mark Evans) suggests that some networking companies are holding up well in a down economy.

But the true bellwether, Cisco, will reveal its results on May 6.

As a business grows, you should reassess the company’s accounting software capabilities. You want to prevent problems that might slow growth. And you want to be pro-active. Installing a new accounting system is not something you want to try when your company’s resources are stretched thin.

The first step is to study a business’s exact needs. How does a company expect to evolve over the next three years? What will the business need over that time, and how much spare capacity needs to be factored into a potential accounting system?

Remember that accounting systems can offer the most reliable data when they are used properly over a several years. You must choose a system that will fit medium-term business plans. You must also allow enough time for training of workers so they can efficiently use the new system.

What To Expect from A New System

Good accounting software is more than just number crunching. Contract management, customer relationship management (CRM), e-commerce, multiple currency management, logistics, project management and digital dashboard/business intelligence systems can all now be integrated into accounting systems.

This provides a total data analysis and reporting capability hitherto unknown in business. You can now command the most timely and critical data at your fingertips for rapid and accurate decision making.

All these features are only available in mid to high-end software systems for medium to large-sized businesses. All these systems include very expensive up-front costs for the proper integration of the various service offerings required by your company. However, once that expense is amortized over the life of the system, it is ultimately negligible compared to the enormous benefits gained.

Purchasing Considerations
As always, there are several issues to consider before you — or your customers — spend money on a new syste,:

• Can the new accounting software be customized to fit specific business needs?
• Can it accommodate growth (e.g. more users)?
• Will the new system be able to communicate with older systems?
• Can the manufacturer provide competent customer service?

Again, I must stress to be sure to budget enough time for training. At minimum, your accounting staff should receive all the training required to ensure the orderly conduct of business after the new system is implemented. Your old system information should be migrated to the new system to ensure continuity of information and to provide you with the immediate analysis benefits. While you can rely on printed materials for training purposes, nothing is better than actual human teachers that can give classes.

For additional questions to ask before you buy any technology system, check out some of my more extensive thoughts here.

Contributing Blogger Louis Rosas-Guyon is a business technology expert with R-Squared Computing, Inc. His opinions do not necessarily reflect those of The VAR Guy.

Alas, under Microsoft’s potential ownership, Zimbra would likely have suffocated and died. Plenty of Zimbra fans expressed their fears about Microsoft to The VAR Guy.

And for good reason. Zimbra is a wildly popular open source email platform. Plus, it’s cross-platform and it even has a loyal following within Mac OS X Server communities — particularly university IT departments.

Sure, Microsoft has come around a bit to open source. And the Microsoft-Novell alliance has won praise from selected enterprises that want to run Windows and Linux side by side.

But let’s be clear: Microsoft’s bid to acquire Yahoo (which Microsoft withdrew on May 3) targeted online advertising. Zimbra, which Yahoo acquired in September 2007, would have been chewed to pieces as Microsoft digested Yahoo.

So good luck Microsoft, as you seek alternative efforts to compete with Google. And good luck Yahoo, as you try to explain to investors how you let Microsoft walk away from the negotiating table. But most of all, good luck Zimbra. You escaped a terrible fate now that the Microsoft-Yahoo discussions appear done. Don’t squander this new lease on life.

Works With U intends to document the rise of Ubuntu Linux in academia, business and consumer settings. It strives to show readers how to unlock the full power of Ubuntu in their organizations. And it will help millions of readers understand that Ubuntu is a true platform — mobile, desktop, server — for the modern age.

Now, for the challenge: The VAR Guy has to remember that there are other Linux distributions in the world — Red Hat, Novell SuSE, and the list goes on. Each distribution has its various strengths, and The VAR Guy will continue to blog about each of those offerings on this site.

Works With U, in contrast, is designed to document the strengths and weaknesses of Ubuntu Linux, along with the operating system’s evolution. Instead of being a cheerleader for Ubuntu Linux, Works With U will strive to educate readers about the ins and outs of Ubuntu.

Of course, The VAR Guy is a self-admitted Ubuntu user and Ubuntu fan. But he continues to run Mac OS X as his primary mobile system. And he also runs Windows XP for a multitude of applications. So he remains cross-platform.

Stick with TheVARguy.com for broad coverage of open source in the IT channel, but take a look at Works With U if you’d like to do a deep dive on Ubuntu Linux.