The VAR Guy

Windows Azure: PDC Roundup

The VAR Guy — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:49:37 +0000

The VAR Guy didn’t have a chance to attend Microsoft’s Professional Developers conference (PDC) this week. But much of the PDC chatter landing in his inbox involved Microsoft’s Windows Azure. Here’s the latest on Microsoft’s cloud operating system.

The shortlist of Azure news included:

Microsoft invited attendees to tour the inside of an actual Azure server container, on display on the show floor. It looks like they’re not designed to pack as many servers as possible, but rather to operate in any climate. CNET’s got pictures and a full writeup.
Microsoft launched Pinpoint, which is essentially an app store for the Azure platform. It also sports a feature bearing the codename “Dallas,” intended to put businesses in touch with service providers and other experts. Expect more on this later.
Microsoft’s Ray Ozzie gave a talk on how Azure really works. CNET’s liveblog is a must-read if you’re still unsure of how all this works.
Microsoft is connecting the dots between its Dynamics ERP solution and Windows Azure. Check the announcement for the full listing of specifications and updates.
And as The VAR Guy previously reported, Microsoft is successfully recruiting small ISVs such as Acumatica and open source developers such as SugarCRM and MySQL onto Azure.

Windows Azure launches in early 2010. Who’s moving onto Microsoft’s cloud? Who’s going a different route entirely? The VAR Guy welcomes your thoughts.

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Xandros Launches Apps2Market

The VAR Guy — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:24:32 +0000

Xandros, the company behind the Linux distribution called Xandros OS, has launched a custom application store that will deliver digital content to any kind of Internet-connect device, agnostic of any sort of platform. It’s called “App2Market.” Here’s the scoop and why VARs might want to perk an ear up…

Calling it the “first rue cross-platform white label applications store,” Apps2Market is aimed at creating an app store for any platform out there, so long as it’s Intel or ARM-based web-devices. The idea is that software vendors, automotive vendors, or any other manufacturers can create a marketplace custom-tailored for applications specific to the device they’re selling.

So say you’re a VAR or and ISV looking to deliver a custom solution for a customer. Now, instead of having to build a channel into an existing app store (a-la Apple or Android) you can now work with Xandros and create a unique market place selling all the things you want. You can build the app client into the device, or straight from a browser. And you can also sell anything you want

At first glance, it looks like Xandros is aiming for the mobile-Internet device market, but also set-top boxes and cars. But they’re also pushing pretty hard on the idea that it can also be a cloud based solution, freeing App2Market offerings from hardware or operating system restrictions.

Their gallery currently shows off a few sites that were created with Apps2Market, but unfortunately, the that interested The VAR Guy (called www.android.cnr.com) had little to few apps up and seemed rather sparse. It also seemed poorly implemented. Clicking on a link to an app just threw my browser into a “loading” loop, never actually linking me to the page.

Oh well, it is — after all — just day 1.

For now, it seems like a like of hype around a pretty neat idea. But we’ll have to wait and see if the Xandros Apps2Market really takes off.

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Dell: Bullish Channel Chief, Bearish Investors

The VAR Guy — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:11:20 +0000

Will the real Dell please stand up? Following yesterday’s quarterly financial statement, Wall Street is bearish on Dell today. Still, Dell Channel Chief Greg Davis sounds bullish about the company’s partner program. Here are some observations.

Dell shares are down 10 percent today (Nov. 20) following an uninspiring earnings release yesterday. As MarketWatch reported:

Dell “shares dropped more than 9%, after the Texas-based company reported a 54% decline in profit, surprising some analysts.”

Still, one analyst told MarketWatch: “We are disappointed in Dell’s consumer performance, but view the corporate strength and margin numbers as very encouraging,”

Dell’s Perspective

Despite some concerns on Wall Street, Davis sounded upbeat during a conversation with The VAR Guy earlier today. Among the key points Davis shared:

On a worldwide basis, roughly 26 percent of Dell’s commercial business flows through the channel — up from 20 percent during the corresponding quarter last year.
Dell now has 131 certified managed services partners — about the same as last year, though the number did decline briefly in early 2009 and has since increased again.
During the quarter, Dell achieved its targets for the channel in terms of top line and bottom line margin goals.
Year over year, 31 percent more channel partners have sold EqualLogic storage arrays.
Dell is rolling out a revamped partner portal on a worldwide basis. All regions should be covered by the end of January 2010.

Bottom line: The VAR Guy thinks MarketWatch’s analysis is on the mark. Dell’s weak consumer business is making Wall Street nervous. But Davis communicated some resonably good to very good points about Dell’s channel progress. The one area that sounded underwhelming involved managed services partnerships.

Have MSPs lost interest in Dell, now that Dell is offering a direct managed services package? The VAR Guy is looking for more clues…

Follow The VAR Guy via RSS; Facebook; Identi.ca; Twitter; and via his Newsletter; Webcasts and Resource Center. Plus, check out more channel voices at www.vartweet.com.

Google Chrome OS: What’s In It for VARs?

The VAR Guy — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:28:43 +0000

Google, as expected, pulled back the curtains on Chrome OS today. The effort includes a three-minute video that explains why Google is developing Chrome OS for netbooks and other slim devices. Here, The VAR Guy offers his two cents on Google’s Chrome OS efforts — and the implications for channel partners and rivals like Microsoft and Canonical. Take a look.

First, Google’s overview of Chrome OS:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sounds slick. Looks slick. But let’s keep Google’s marketing in perspective. Chrome OS won’t be ready for the masses for at least a year. In a blog post today, Google stated:

Today we are open-sourcing the project as Chromium OS. We are doing this early, a year before Google Chrome OS will be ready for users, because we are eager to engage with partners, the open source community and developers. As with the Google Chrome browser, development will be done in the open from this point on. This means the code is free, accessible to anyone and open for contributions. The Chromium OS project includes our current code base, user interface experiments and some initial designs for ongoing development. This is the initial sketch and we will color it in over the course of the next year.

Chrome OS for VARs?

At first glance Chrome OS looks like it targets mobile consumer devices — low-cost netbooks that mostly run Windows XP and Windows 7 today. But folks let’s not overlook the fact that netbooks are increasingly associated with service providers and recurring monthly revenue.

Over time, The VAR Guy suspects, MSPs will offer netbooks under hardware as a service (HaaS) contracts.

No doubt, Linux has had a hit-and-miss history on netbooks. Offerings like Canonical’s Ubuntu started out strong on netbooks in the US, but Microsoft swiftly fought back in early 2009 and more recently with both Windows XP and Windows 7 for netbooks … alas, Windows Vista was too bloated for netbooks. (As you may know, The VAR Guy’s sister site, WorksWithU, closely tracks the Ubuntu market.)

The Google Apps Connection

Even if Chrome OS isn’t perfect at launch, The VAR Guy thinks it will gain channel momentum. The reason: Google will surely connect the dots between Chrome OS and Google Apps.

Roughly 16 percent of MSPs already offer Google Apps to their customers, according to the third-annual MSPmentor 100 survey, which continues through Dec. 11. Google Chrome OS devices, The VAR Guy believes, will be a natural sales extension for Google Apps resellers.

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The VAR Guy in 2010: Kind of a Big Deal

The VAR Guy — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:38:41 +0000

Hmmm… The VAR Guy’s Web site seems to be getting pretty crowded lately. A bunch of new voices are now blogging for the site — though The VAR Guy claims to remain in control. No need for panic, folks. It’s all part of a plan to continue growing The VAR Guy’s web site in 2010 and beyond.

Our resident blogger will offer some more details soon. In the meantime, he hopes you enjoy all the new content. And The VAR Guy thanks you for helping to lift site traffic more than 45 percent during the first nine months of 2009 vs. the same period in 2008.

Follow The VAR Guy via RSS; Facebook; Identi.ca; Twitter; and via his Newsletter; Webcasts and Resource Center. Plus, check out more channel voices at www.vartweet.com.

HP ProCurve Partner Network Grows

Charlene O Hanlon — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:57:29 +0000

Hewlett-Packard’s ProCurve division has expanded its Open Network Ecosystem (ONE) by more than five new vendors, further positioning itself as a one-stop shop for its channel partners. ProCurve ONE, combined with HP’s pending buyout of 3Com, are the latest steps in HP’s efforts to compete more effectively against Cisco Systems. Here are the details.

New additions to ProCurve ONE include Aastra, AeroScout, Avaya, F5, Fortinet, SonicWall, Sourcefire, StillSecure, Traversa Solutions and vantronix. Their technology runs the gamut from communications to Wi-Fi to security services, and all have the distinction of being compatible with the ProCurve networking solution set.

This brings the total of vendors participating in ONE to an impressive 21 – impressive considering ONE was launched less than a year ago. The program is based on HP ProCurve’s Adaptive Networks vision, in which networks adapt to users’ needs, not the other way around (as has been the case since forever). Hence, rather than one vendor providing one technology, the Open Network Ecosystem provides a bevy of vendors and technology to enable channel partners to build networks according to customer demands.

And the technology that provides the backbone of the effort – the ProCurve family of networking hardware – is solid stuff. In the past year, HP has beefed up its portfolio with enterprise and carrier-class switches that hold their own against other networking vendors. The open architecture of the hardware supports the ecosystem very well: the switch chassis include room for a module that holds the alliance vendor’s application, actually incorporating it into the network fabric rather than adding it on as an extension. “It’s more beneficial to have the application residing in the network fabric from an operational standpoint and from a power perspective,” said Frank Cohen, HP’s director of worldwide strategic alliances.

To be a ProCurve channel partner does not automatically grant access to sell the ecosystem partners’ technology, however. Partners must become certified through the vendor to sell and support the technology. However, Cohen noted, many ProCurve partners already are certified with at least one ecosystem partner.

In building these alliances, HP is selecting vendors that are best in their class and leaders in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant, Cohen said. The company has taken steps to recruit more than one vertical, such as communications for example. “We’re basically doing the legwork for [our partners],” he noted. “But, that said, if we’re only selecting one company in each area, we’d be limiting our partners. Instead, we want to provide options. What may serve a need for one customer may not work for another, so we will represent all of our ecosystem partners equally and help our channel partners determine which is the best solution for them.”

ProCurve ONE is an interesting concept that, for many solution providers overwhelmed with so many new technology options, could provide a much-needed helping hand. Open architecture is the natural migration path for networking; HP seems to be providing the helpful travel tips.

Still, Cisco isn’t standing still. In fact, Cisco is said to be mulling a close partnership with Lenovo, creating a potential one-two punch that counters HP’s networking and PC businesses.

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Five Best Practices for Growing Your Managed Services Business

Eric Webster — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:17:59 +0000

With low barriers to entry (i.e., low up-front costs) and the potential for signficant recurring revenue, many service providers are moving into the MSP market. But what is the key to successfully growing your MSP practice and retaining customers so they will not turn elsewhere for their IT needs? By keeping some key best practices in mind, you can differentiate your services so that you not only survive, but thrive in this challenging economic environment.

Here are five ways to succeed in the MSP market:

1. Customer Service. Commit to giving your customers better customer service than the next guy. Everyone provides customer service. Make yours exceptional. At Intronis, we’ve branded our customer service as Gung-Ho Client Service™. Our goal is to let our customers know that we are truly committed to doing whatever it takes to make them successful. Don’t make customer service an afterthought. Make it part of your overall business strategy. Go the extra mile and your customers will remember you for it.

2. Understand your customers’ business culture. Get to know your customers’ way of doing business so that you can deliver your services in a manner that best meets their needs. Don’t deliver cookie cutter services. Know how to tailor and execute your services in a way that is compatible with your customers’ unique way of doing business.

According to a recent report (CompTIA’s Annual Managed Services Best Practices Survey), one of the key factors in determining the success of today’s MSPs, is whether they are able to develop a deep understanding of their customers’ business. By having a laser focus on their customers’ needs, MSPs can offer higher premium services that add the most value to their customers’ business. In doing so, they can command higher fees and generate higher profits.

3. Education. Educate your customers on the value you are providing to them and get them to move away from thinking about point solutions and cost. If you can’t show value, you will always be competing on price. You are providing a valued-added service and you should be able to give your customers an ROI that will show them why you are the best choice for their business. If you can’t show them the metrics, you don’t deserve their business.

4. Ongoing communication. In order to retain their business over time, you need to maintain contact communication with your customers. Whether it’s phone calls, social media, or on-site visits, you need to build a rapport with your customers so that they will eventually see you as a trusted business advisor rather than just a vendor. When other business opportunities come up, they will automatically think of you because of this trusted relationship you have established.

5. Commitment. Commitment is the key to growing your business and adding value to your customers’ business. If developed properly, an MSP practice is a sophisticated business that needs to be given adequate dedication and resources. Whether you’re going into the MSP market in a big way or on a smaller scale, commit 100% to that level. Make the investment in the right people and the right technology in order to deliver the best value to your customers. Don’t do it halfway; you will only end up with unhappy customers and low profits.

Eric Webster is VP of sales and client service for Intronis. Find Intronis partner program information here. Guest blog entries such as this one are contributed on a monthly basis as part of The VAR Guy’s 2009 sponsorship program.

Attention Australia VARs and MSPs

The VAR Guy — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:05:08 +0000

The VAR Guy is finally working from home. But his sister site — MSPmentor — is taking a close look at the Australia managed services market. In fact, MSPmentor is hosting a Webcast Nov. 25 for Australia and New Zealand solutions providers that are seeking to master managed services. Here’s a look at the content and MSPmentor’s guest speakers.

Join us November 25 at 11:00am EDT New South Wales for “How To Build Recurring Revenue for Your Managed Services Company.” During the webcast, you’ll learn at least six sales tips (actually, the guest speakers will likely double that number…) to help you accelerate your recurring revenue.

MSPmentor’s confirmed speakers include:

Zaun Bhana, Operations Director, Leap Consulting
Clayton Moulynox, GM, Evolve IT Australia
Arnie Bellini, CEO, ConnectWise (the event’s sponsor)

Bhana and Moulynox represent two of Australia’s top MSPs. And Bellini’s sales expertise is unquestioned.

MSPmentor visited Australia in 2008 to get a feel for emerging MSP trends. As media brand, MSPmentor has a unique perspective regarding which North American MSP trends are now emerging in Australia and New Zealand. And MSPmentor also understands which North American trends aren’t quite occurring down under.

If you’re located in Australia or New Zealand, join MSPmentor us Nov. 25 for the Webcast.

Acumatica: ERP on Windows Azure

Matthew Weinberger — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:00:16 +0000

As Windows Azure nears its official launch in early 2010, we’re starting to hear from more companies taking the plunge into developing for Microsoft’s cloud platform. True believers include Acumatica, a channel-centric ERP and CRM provider that’s embracing Azure. Here’s why.

Acumatica develops enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management software in both SaaS and traditional licensing varieties, and about 90% 100% of their software is sold through reseller partners. Next up, Acumatica’s software will land in the Windows Azure cloud.

Acumatica, which only released its first commercial product earlier in 2009, is betting that Azure won’t be a flop. “I’m pretty confident of Azure’s success,” says Ezequiel Steiner, CEO of Acumatica. “It’s one of the leaders.”

Indeed, a mix of open source and closed source application developers have vowed to support Azure.

Who Is This Guy?

For his part, Steiner has plenty of experience in the SaaS market. He previously led the corporate and business development team for Parallels, which makes automation software that speeds SaaS deployments. And pundits seem to have faith in Acumatica’s strategy: The Almaz Capital Russia Fund I, backed by Cisco Systems, invested in Acumatica in Nov. 2009.

Now, Acumatica is marching toward Azure support. Azure’s major advantages over the competition, Steiner says, involves .NET frameworks that so many modern Windows applications leverage.

Steiner characterized the move to Azure development as “extremely easy,” largely owing to the similarity to coding for traditional Windows systems. Microsoft, he says, was very helpful and willing to provide whatever they needed.

Will channel partners promote Acumatica on Azure to customers? Steiner says Acumatica’s partners have been giving very positive feedback on the move to Azure development.

We’ll have a better feel for Acumatica’s Azure efforts once Azure officially launches in early 2010.

Follow The VAR Guy via RSS; Facebook; Identi.ca; Twitter; and via his Newsletter; Webcasts and Resource Center. Plus, check out more channel voices at www.vartweet.com.

Lenovo Announces Secure Managed Client 2.0

Dave Courbanou — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:20:27 +0000

Lenovo claims its new Secure Managed Client (SMC) is the “PC industry’s only storage-based fleet management solution.” SMC 2.0 brings increased security and tools, and there’s a lot of them. Here’s the news boiled down and what you need to know.

Peter Schrady, vice president, general manager, Software and Peripherals, Lenovo says “We have designed SMC 2.0 to reduce the cost and complexity of desktop virtualization [with] no discernible difference to the end user.” While SMC 2.0 certainty flexes Lenovo’s networking muscles, it’s doesn’t seem entirely new. Features include:

Pristine Image Support – An SMC 2.0 enabled PC will return to its original state with each time a user turns off the PC, deleted viruses, spyware, temporary info included saved password and any other gunked-up-junk. Lenovo touts this as the perfect solution for “kiosks, libraries…task workers and software test environments.”

Enhanced Redundancy – With SMC 2.0, “duplicate connection managers” allow users to continue working on their desktop PCs even if the original client connection to the SMC Connection Manager in severed. SMC 2.0 also includes a process that instantly backs up user data on separate, redundant storage as soon as user data is saved.

Assigned Seating – IT managers can choose between assigning an image to a user or a particular SMC client such as a PC located in an office, classroom, hotel lobby or school library. This means certain machines will always boot into a specific environment, based either on the machine or the user accessing the machine.

Storage Array Auto Detection – “Designed for even the most novice administrator”, the SMC 2.0 version is built with “AutoDetect” which automatically notices when a new storage array has been installed, lessening the need to notify an administrator in the first place.

Lenovo wants you to know that SMC 2.0 can be deployed on SMC compliant Lenovo ThinkCentre desktop PCs and will be available starting in February 2010 in the US. VARs and MSPs, — feedback on 2.0 would be welcomed if and when you’re involved.

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Siemens Channel Chief: We’re Growing

The VAR Guy — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:18:05 +0000

You may not know Denzil Samuels, but that’s about to change. Samuels (pictured) quietly joined Siemens Enterprise Communications in May 2009. His goal: To completely revamp the unified communications company from direct sales to channel sales. It’s too soon to draw any long-term conclusions but multiple anecdotes suggest Samuels (and Siemens) are making channel progress. Here’s the scoop.

The VAR Guy sat down with Samuels for lunch on Tuesday. For more than an hour — as The VAR Guy inhaled pasta and Diet Cokes — Samuels politely described how Siemens is overhauling its business processes to be channel-centric.

“If this position was about incremental change I would have had zero interest,” says Samuels. “But a channel move is a game changer for Siemens. I knew that if we got this right it could really drive growth and market share.”

Only six months on the job, Samuels seems to be making progress. Prime examples:

Siemens generated a 12% increase in sales for the 4th quarter
The company has introduced indirect sales in 27 additional countries
All channel resources now have a hardline reporting structure into Samuels
Siemens has expanded relationships with several specialty distributors — including Synnex and Westcon
Siemens now has internal revenue targets for indirect sales. “That was never the case before,” says Samuels. “Now there’s an [indirect sales target] we need to be accountable for.”

Siemens first disclosed its channel strategy back in May 2009. Within five years, company executives said, Siemens hoped to generate 75 percent of revenue through channel partners — up from a scant 15 percent today. Samuels — a Northrop Grumman and Avaya veteran — quietly signed on to lead that channel charge.

More recent channel milestones include:

Indirect sales goals for country managers.
The mapping of named accounts to key partners.
New POS systems and deal registration systems for partners.

At first glance, Siemen’s progress sure looks promising. No doubt, plenty of networking companies would like to celebrate growth in a rough economy.

But The VAR Guy also has to keep this story in perspective. Shifting from direct to indirect sales is no small challenge. And frankly, The VAR Guy needs to speak with more Siemens channel partners to hear if they believe in the networking company’s transformation.

Still, moving from direct to indirect sales isn’t impossible. Just ask Cisco Systems — which did exactly that around 1997.

Follow The VAR Guy via RSS; Facebook; Identi.ca; Twitter; and via his Newsletter; Webcasts and Resource Center. Plus, check out more channel voices at www.vartweet.com.

Mastering Managed Services: Webcast Today

admin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:29:32 +0000

Please join MSPmentor (The VAR Guy’s sister site) for our next webcast today (Wednesday, November 18) at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. We’ll focus on real-world case studies from two prominent MSPs — Alpheon Corp. and Sabio Information Services. They’ll describe how they reduce customer power consumption and energy costs even as they boost their own margins.

The VAR Guy

Windows Azure: PDC Roundup

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Xandros Launches Apps2Market

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Dell: Bullish Channel Chief, Bearish Investors

Dell’s Perspective

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Google Chrome OS: What’s In It for VARs?

Chrome OS for VARs?

The Google Apps Connection

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The VAR Guy in 2010: Kind of a Big Deal

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HP ProCurve Partner Network Grows

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Five Best Practices for Growing Your Managed Services Business

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Attention Australia VARs and MSPs

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Acumatica: ERP on Windows Azure

Who Is This Guy?

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Lenovo Announces Secure Managed Client 2.0

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Siemens Channel Chief: We’re Growing

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Mastering Managed Services: Webcast Today

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