https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2022 NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2023 Call for Speakers
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2022 NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2023 Call for Speakers
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Agents
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • Channel Partners Events
 Channel Futures

Mobility & Wireless


New Year, New CEOs at Major Technology Companies

  • Written by The VAR Guy 1
  • January 2, 2012
Welcome to 2012. The first IT trend of the New Year:  Many high-tech companies enter 2012 with new or recently named CEOs (examples include AMD, Apple, Google, Hewlett-Packard and IBM). Plus, a lengthy list of prominent CEOs (representing Cisco Systems, Dell, Microsoft, Oracle and Research in Motion) are under pressure to boost sales, profits and channel partner success. Here's what channel partners should expect.

Welcome to 2012. The first IT trend of the New Year:  Many high-tech companies enter 2012 with new or recently named CEOs (examples include AMD, Apple, Google, Hewlett-Packard and IBM). Plus, a lengthy list of prominent CEOs (representing Cisco Systems, Dell, Microsoft, Oracle and Research in Motion) are under pressure to boost sales, profits and channel partner success. Here’s what channel partners should expect.

The VAR Guy will take a deep-dive look at one high-tech CEO per day over the next two weeks. The lineup includes…

New CEOs, New Challenges

AMD: Former Lenovo President and COO Rory Read joined AMD as CEO in August 2011. Read cut AMD’s staff in November 2011 and is now focusing the company on “low power, emerging markets and the cloud.” Can Read restore AMD’s profits while rewarding channel partners? Hmmm… The VAR Guy’s Closer Look: Available here (posted Tuesday, January 3).

Apple: CEO Tim Cook succeeded Steve Jobs in August 2011. Cook remains best-known for his operational leadership. But can he continue Apple’s core momentum (iPhone, iPad, iPod, etc.) while pushing into new markets  — including television? And does Cook give a darn about Apple channel partners? The VAR Guy’s Closer Look: Available here (posted Wednesday, January 4).

Google: Everything old is new again. Co-founder Larry Page succeeded Eric Schmidt as CEO in April 2011. Steve Jobs once told Page to sharpen Google’s focus and zero in on a few core markets. Will Page follow that advice? While online advertising continues to dominate Google’s revenue stream and Android has captured consumer attention, the company continues to engage Google Apps channel partners and is even starting to promote Google Chromebooks through channel partners. But are partners profiting? The VAR Guy’s Closer Look: Available here (posted Thursday, January 5).

Hewlett-Packard: Can HP bury a bleak 2011 and regain its form in 2012? Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman succeeded Leo Apotheker in September 2011 after HP’s board lost faith in Apotheker’s leadership style. Under Apotheker, HP hyped and then killed its WebOS mobile hardware efforts, and considered spinning off its PC business. Whitman has promised to bring focus back to HP but can she mend fences with some HP customers and partners that felt betrayed in 2011? The VAR Guy’s Closer Look: Available here (posted Friday, January 6).

IBM: New IBM CEO Virginia (“Ginni”) M. Rometty succeeded Sam Palmisano on January 1, 2012. Rometty inherits a very strong company but some investors worry that IBM’s earnings growth will slow in 2012. Plus, is IBM’s channel focus — increasingly involving business analytics and business intelligence — too narrow for some partners? The VAR Guy’s Closer Look: Available here (posted Monday, January 2).

…Same CEOs, New Challenges

Meanwhile, a lengthy list of technology companies are in transition. Some CEOs may even be on the hot seat. Among the leaders and businesses worth tracking…

Cisco Systems: In 2011 CEO John Chambers conceded that Cisco had lost its focused. He shut down the Flip consumer video business, cut staff and promised to ensure the Next Cisco — with a sharper customer and partner focus — would emerge quickly. The VAR Guy’s Closer Look: Monday, January 9.

Dell: CEO Michael Dell has been pushing Dell deeper into multiple enterprise and cloud markets. Most of the moves involve acquisitions focused on storage, networking, security and cloud computing. But can Dell buy its way to success? The VAR Guy’s Closer Look: Tuesday, January 10.

Microsoft: In late 2011, the rumor mill suggested Bill Gates may return to Microsoft in a full-time role. (Gates dismissed the rumor.) The rumor surfaced as some Wall Street pundits expressed concerns about Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s leadership. Under Ballmer, Microsoft has missed the initial smart phone and tablet tidal waves. But Microsoft’s ongoing success in the enterprise applications market — Exchange Server, SQL Server, Dynamics, Lync, etc. — remains largely overlooked. The VAR Guy’s Closer Look: Wednesday, January 11.

Oracle: In December 2011, Oracle unveiled disappointing quarterly sales and profits. CEO Larry Ellison insists that Oracle’s focus on engineered systems — integrating hardware and software — is the right strategy. But will customers and partners reward that focus? The VAR Guy’s Closer Look: Thursday, January 12.

Research In Motion: Apple iOS and Google Android continue to pressure RIM’s core BlackBerry business. RIM’s push into tablets has been an expensive experiment. And a cloud outage in 2011 sent some RIM customers running to the exits. Ironically, RIM has two CEOs — Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis. Can either executive pull RIM out of its nosedive? The VAR Guy’s Closer Look: Friday, January 13.

Who Did We Miss?

Did The VAR Guy overlook any of your key technology partners? Do you need The VAR Guy to more closely analyze a hardware, software or IT service provider? Feel free to post a comment and The VAR Guy will give it a look.

 

 

Tags: Agents Cloud Service Providers MSPs VARs/SIs Cloud Mobility & Wireless Networking New/Changing Channel Programs Technologies

Most Recent


  • New direction
    Deal to Buy Unify from Atos Seals New Direction for Mitel, CEO Explains
    The deal also includes a role for RingCentral.
  • Momentum
    Microsoft Security Now $20 Billion Business with 'Tremendous Momentum'
    One analyst says there's few legitimate obstacles in its path for further growth.
  • Intelisys Pre-AMP'd Marketing Forum
    Intelisys, Suppliers, Agents Take Aim at the Partner Marketing Gap
    Marketing is historically a second thought for the sales-focused world of technology advisors.
  • ChatGPT
    Ivanti: Everyone Should be Concerned About ChatGPT and Cybersecurity
    ChatGPT can make it easier to become a cybercriminal.

8 comments

  1. Avatar varfan January 2, 2012 @ 4:48 pm
    Reply

    a writeup on salesforce.com would be nice!

  2. Avatar The VAR Guy January 2, 2012 @ 5:31 pm
    Reply

    varfan:

    The VAR Guy thanks you for your readership. Our resident blogger promises to add Salesforce.com to the list of targets. Target publish date: Monday, Jan. 16.

    Also, check out TalkinCloud.com, The VAR Guy’s sister website. There, you’ll find plenty of Salesforce.com coverage for channel partners and cloud services providers.
    -TVG

  3. Avatar Bill Bickel January 3, 2012 @ 10:44 pm
    Reply

    I have written some feedback on Exa-systems and my skepticism vs. Oracle’s prior quarters enthusiasm and tales of huge pipelines. Their last earnings call prompted me to try and look wider at all of Oracle and see where other challenges may be.

    This is a bit lengthy, but it looks like the sailboat is taking on water, with cracks in the space age fiberglass hull.
    Some challenges I see:
    – Sun SPARC business – was in heavy decline when Sun owned it
    stand-alone. Is going to continue to decline, and will cost many $ for
    Ramp;D as they try to keep it alive. This is a double loser = lower sales
    and higher costs. In addition the Oracle sales reps (including the
    1700 new ones0 will be incented to push these more expensive systems,
    and customers will soon not want to let them in the door and hear the
    same old sales pitch on over-priced hardware.
    – Middleware business – the Fusion middleware and BEA Weblogic stuff
    is pretty old and bloated now. People are looking to move away from
    Webshpere and the Oracle/BEA software to either lower cost JBoss, or
    to more modern Internet based or cloud based development, application,
    and data models. Expect this business to struggle as time moves
    forward.
    – Applications – their own pretty bad Oracle applications plus all the
    legacy stuff they added, Siebel, Peoplesoft, JD Edwards, will be
    harder and harder to sell going forward. Many users are trapped into
    these solutions for several years, but there will be a growing number
    of SaaS options to migrate people off from these, and new sales will
    be harder since the Oracle reputation is suffering, and many CIO’s
    would be fired for “buying old, complicated technology solutions” like
    Siebel or Peoplesoft (hot in the 1980’s and 1990’s, in 2011 – not so
    much. Expect tough sledding here also.
    – Operating Systems – trying to keep Solaris alive, with the reality
    that it never really took hold on x86, means they have to keep SPARC
    and SPARC/Solaris alive and competitive. A very tough road to compete
    with the Intel x86 machine, and the true “engineered systems” approach
    (as in engineered for value, performance, and lower cost).
    Furthermore they seem bent on wanting people to buy Oracle Linux. They
    have been trying to convert Red Hat users for 5+ years, and I don’t
    think it is working. By asking their sales teams to push Oracle Linux
    they will likely delay sales of database, middleware, and hardware,
    since customers smell the lock-in, and don’t appreciate Oracle telling
    them not to use Red Hat, when Red Hat runs very well for them
    throughout IT. They will have to give up on this program, or sales of
    all hardware and software will get harder and harder for them.
    – Virtualization – another area where they are bent on having people
    buy their Oracle virtualization software, which has even less market
    share than their Linux offering (my guess is that their Linux has 2-3%
    share of the Linux market, and their virtualization less than 1-2% of
    the Virtualization market). Again, it delay’s sales of their
    database, middleware and hardware when they tell people they should
    not run VMWare, and they already use VMWare widely in IT. I would
    think the sales rep backlash internally on operating system and
    virtualization stuff will be huge as they keep hiring salespeople and
    kick their butts to make their numbers.
    – Cloud wave – they are way behind here, and likely the internal
    debates and potential collateral damage on product pricing, make this
    a tough area for them. I could see them continuing to buy up things
    (Cloud Provider/Hoster, SaaS and PaaS players), but trying to piec
    them togetyher and rationalize with their other offerings, could be
    overwhelming.
    – Exa-systems – this is one that just seems destined for low-volume,
    high-cost, and struggle – and eventually the hot-air of hype will have
    to be let out (as it started to on their latest earnings report when
    they had to eat crow about 1000’s of Exa-systems, actually being a
    couple hundred. Like their foray’s into being an “Exchange killer”
    many years ago, it will be hyped for awhile, but will be shut down
    over time, and several customers will have modern day Data General
    mini-computers on their hands.
    – Core database business – they will be able to milk this baby for a
    long time still, but with Internet applications and data explosion,
    many people are developing new applications on noSQL type models. The
    market forces don’t favor big growth in traditional SQL database
    applications. Not going away anytime soon, but not high growth, and
    new waves of technology, and modern developers that don’t buy into the
    “safe to use an Oracle DB” approach.
    – Storage – not sure how their Sun storage and tape business is doing,
    but it seems like again, people are not likely to trust Oracle for
    their storage assets that are used for a wide range of applications
    and technologies.
    – Customer and Vendor Partner Reputation – for many years Oracle has
    been known to be difficult to deal with and quick to audit and get
    lawyers involved. While in the meantime often getting into trouble for
    business practices (e.g. state of california). Their negative
    reputation will continue to grow as they try to push more 100% Oracle
    engineered systems, and keep fighting against things like x86 and Red
    Hat Linux and VMWare – stuff that IT users get great value from. In
    addition they continue to be more negative and competitive with other
    industry vendors (e.g. HP, IBM, Intel, Netapp, EMC, Red Hat, VMWare)
    and these companies will continue to look for ways to not recommend
    Oracle based solutions. Larry and crew have lots of swagger, but it
    feels like the collective resources of these other guys will have a
    negative impact.
    – Investors and Wall Street – it seems like these guys have been
    enamored of Oracle, and as long as numbers and profits grow, they will
    kiss-some-behind. But this earnings call was a let down, and the
    Oracle executives were their cocky selves. If they struggle for a few
    more quarters, then Wall St will turn against them also. And Oracle
    should remember who really runs the country; the folks in New York
    that read the New York Times, not the folks in Washington that read
    the Washington Post.
    – Outside of the US – I expect more International backlash against
    Oracle also. When you combine all the points above, and then layer in
    the view that they are the pinnacle of an ugly american company,
    people will look for alternatives more and more.

  4. Avatar Frank Golly G. Willikers January 4, 2012 @ 12:08 am
    Reply

    Can you look into the executive office of 9 Lives Media and there relationship with Penton Media, Inc. See if you can find out the details of the transaction and will this cause Varguy to be more or less of a hooker.

  5. Avatar The VAR Guy January 4, 2012 @ 12:17 am
    Reply

    [email protected]: The VAR Guy appreciates the time you invested in that comment. You raise so key points — particularly about whether SPARC can be a profitable growth platform again when x86 is essentially ubiquitous. The VAR Guy promises to raise the issues you’ve shared the next time he interviews Oracle.

    [email protected]: Um, how exactly has The VAR Guy changed since Penton Media acquired Nine Lives Media in August? Care to drop the personal attacks and share your concerns? The VAR Guy will surely reply.
    -TVG

  6. Avatar Bill Bickel January 6, 2012 @ 8:31 pm
    Reply

    VARGuy – I think it would be good to dig deeper into some of the Oracle struggle areas I pointed out when you talk with them. I noticed one survey today that asked end users about Oracle and spending (a small clip and link is below.)

    My assumption has been that if end users are surveyed, there will be some very different opinions of the appeal of SPARC servers, Exa-machines, Oracle Virtualization, Solaris, Oracle Linux, Oracle old line apps, and Oracle middleware, than when people ask Oracle employees or even their channel partners. But end users rule the day, when all is said and done.

    —
    http://blogs.the451group.com/opensource/2012/01/05/2012-to-be-year-of-linux-domination/
    …
    I also expect Linux will grow its presence and impact on the wider, more mainstream server market, where Red Hat and SUSE continue to benefit from Unix migration, particularly from Solaris. Our analysis with survey data from 451 Research division TheInfoPro shows server spending for databases and data warehousing favoring Red Hat with Linux over Oracle with either Linux or Solaris. Out of more than 165 server professionals interviewed by TIP, 67% are planning to spend more with Red Hat on database/data-warehousing, and only 6% plan to spend less. The positive figures for Red Hat mirror negative spending intentions for Oracle, with 55% planning to spend less and only 9% planning to spend more. Spending continues to decline strongly for all of the primary Unix providers in the study, which in addition to Oracle includes IBM and Hewlett-Packard.
    …

  7. Avatar The VAR Guy January 6, 2012 @ 8:40 pm
    Reply

    Bill,

    The VAR Guy saw that coverage, too. Yes, SPARC/Solaris to x86/Linux transition continues to be a market trend. Red Hat has teamed with IBM, HP and Dell for years to attack SPARC/Solaris. The VAR Guy will ask ORCL if (A) they can slow the trend or (B) get customers onto x86/Oracle Linux.

    For the 451 Group report, The VAR Guy thinks some of the stats are misleading. Does CIO spending on “Oracle” involve just SPARC/Solaris? Sounds like the survey did not really focus on Oracle’s core business — databases and applications…

    -TVG

  8. Avatar Bill Bickel January 9, 2012 @ 5:56 pm
    Reply

    After reading a glowing BofA financial analyst report on ORCL today, I then ran across some data I had been looking for, for awhile now – end user views. I have been trying to see if anyone was doing end user surveys about Oracle products and policies. This one pulls info from several end user surveys and shows some end user negative dynamics

    http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/Oracles-Downward-Spiral-74110.html

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • 5G
    5G: Revolution or Evolution?
  • Security shield on digital background
    VMware Security Connect Focused on Redefining Security, Increasing Threats
  • Fortune 500 2021 logo
    AT&T, Microsoft, Verizon, More Tech, Telco Companies Make Latest Fortune 500
  • security
    WatchGuard Rolls Out New Product Family Year After Panda Security Acquisition

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

May 1, 2023 - May 4, 2023

Channel Partners Europe

June 13, 2023 - June 14, 2023

Channel Futures Leadership Summit

October 30, 2023 - November 2, 2023

Galleries

View all

Deal to Buy Unify from Atos Seals New Direction for Mitel, CEO Explains

January 26, 2023

Intelisys, Suppliers, Agents Take Aim at the Partner Marketing Gap

January 26, 2023

Ivanti: Everyone Should be Concerned About ChatGPT and Cybersecurity

January 25, 2023

Industry Perspectives

View all

Make the Most of the Gift of Time in 2023

January 25, 2023

Strong Partnerships Ease Challenging UPS Upgrade

January 24, 2023

The Advantages of Managed Networking and Security During Economic Uncertainty

January 5, 2023

Webinars

View all

Next-Generation MSP Platform: The Building Blocks for Your Business

February 15, 2023

Security Secrets of the MSP 501: How to Be a Cyber Leader in 2023

December 15, 2022
  • 1

Cybersecurity Certifications: Their Evolving Role in the Fight Against Increasing Attacks

December 13, 2022

White Papers

View all

Overcoming Your Endpoint Security Limitations with a Skeleton Crew

October 25, 2022

Embracing the Zero Trust Mindset For Endpoints

October 24, 2022

Endpoints are the Destination

October 24, 2022

Channel Futures TV

View all

Coffee with Craig and James Episode 117: Cato Networks, Video Killed the Podcast Stars

Retired Astronaut Capt. Scott Kelly Previews His CP Expo Keynote

December 21, 2022

Fusion Connect Eyes Future with Intrado UC, Managed Network Customers

September 23, 2022

RingCentral Focused on Hybrid Work, Microsoft Teams, Other Integrations

September 23, 2022

Twitter

ChannelFutures

The CEO of @Mitel discusses the likely outcomes of buying @Atos Unify. Note: @RingCentral will play a role post acq… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 26, 2023
ChannelFutures

.@msftsecurity surpasses $20 billion in annual revenue, analysts say it's a formidable #cybersecurity market conten… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 26, 2023
ChannelFutures

The adoption of cloud-based services ☁️ has spiked in the last few years and is among the top growth segments. See… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 26, 2023
ChannelFutures

[email protected], @NICECXone, @lumencpp, @CiscoPartners joined @IntelisysCorp and partners for a day of marketing worksho… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 26, 2023
ChannelFutures

.@IBM and @SAP announce #layoffs of thousands of employees dlvr.it/ShV2VY https://t.co/7QK1YqVpwa

January 26, 2023
ChannelFutures

#MSPs can boost #Channel business if they personalize the #DigitalExperience for partners, says @AvePoint.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 26, 2023
ChannelFutures

Consider mental health in the context of DE&I. Create safe spaces where employees can feel comfortable being who th… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 26, 2023
ChannelFutures

.@GoIvanti's CSO says #ChatGPT poses numerous cybersecurity concerns. dlvr.it/ShRmdt https://t.co/n22RZ4PZaO

January 25, 2023

MSP 501

The industry's largest and most comprehensive partner awards program.

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Galleries

Educational slide shows and images from live events.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Events
  • Telecoms.com
  • MSP 501
  • Black Hat
  • IoT World Today
  • Omdia

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X