Digital Service Providers

Novell: Two Steps in the Right Direction

• March 13, 2007

The VAR Guy has taken some shots at Novell over the years. Having written about the company since 1992, he hasn’t been upbeat about Novell’s prospects since, um, the arrival of NetWare 4 more than a decade ago. But two Novell-related developments caught his attention today. First, The Wall Street Journal finally noticed that Linux […]

Nortel vs. Cisco: Rematch Scheduled for May

• March 12, 2007

The VAR Guy truly enjoyed watching Cisco and Nortel trade blows at last week’s VoiceCon in Orlando. During the conference, the two networking giants used partners and the media in a bid to one-up each other in the unified communications market. But VoiceCon was just Round One. Cisco and Nortel will surely trade some fresh […]

Microsoft Office Meets ERP (Again)

• March 12, 2007

When The VAR Guy heard about Microsoft’s latest ERP strategy, he got déjà vu all over again. The company says it plans to increasingly promote Microsoft Office as a front-end to its Dynamics ERP software. Hmmm. Microsoft has partnered with SAP on a similar strategy in the enterprise space. As you may recall, Microsoft and […]

Daylight Savings: Lost Weekend for IT

• March 12, 2007

Nuclear reactors didn’t melt down. Power grids didn’t go dark. But a lot of IT managers and integrators spent the weekend troubleshooting time issues related to the early arrival of Daylight Savings. One of The VAR Guy’s neighbors, an IT director for a major broadband service provider, was tied up on his laptop all weekend […]

Microsoft’s Risky Partnership

• March 12, 2007

The VAR Guy scratched his head in confusion when he heard about Microsoft’s new partnership with CompUSA. The retailer hasn’t exactly been setting the world on fire lately. You might even say the company is going down in flames as it closes stores across the country. Yet Microsoft and CompUSA today announced the CompUSA TechPro […]

Oracle VARs: Pack for Vegas

• March 10, 2007

If The VAR Guy was an Oracle partner, he’d book a trip to Las Vegas for April 15 through 19. That’s when the Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG) will be in town for its annual conference. While other user groups have come and gone, OAUG is powerful and commands the attention of Oracle’s executives and […]

Red Hat: Big News Coming March 14

• March 10, 2007

Red Hat on Wednesday is expected to unveil a “brand-new offering, never before discussed publicly,” a spokesperson tells The VAR Guy. What’s on tap? Reuters believes the open source company plans to launch an online store featuring Red Hat solutions and certified third-party products. If true, it’s a great move that also provides several key […]

Old Phones, New VoIP Server, Happy Customers?

• March 7, 2007

During a meeting with The VAR Guy on Wednesday, Citel Technologies described a rather compelling business scenario: Imagine a communications solution that protects customers’ existing desktop phone investments, but delivers the power of VoIP applications. Hmmm. That sounds far too good to be true but Citel may be onto something here. The company has unveiled […]

Will VARs Flip for Paul Allen’s Tiny PC?

• March 7, 2007

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is back, this time with a super-tiny mobile PC that runs Windows Vista. The 1.5 pound Flipstart is slated to ship this month. It’s the size of a paperback book and weighs less than two pounds. The device, previously known as the MiniPC, was shown way back at DEMO in 2004. […]

Nortel vs. Cisco: Either Way, Microsoft Wins

• March 7, 2007

The cat fight between Nortel and Cisco could make Microsoft a top dog in the unified communications market. At least that’s the current spin from The VAR Guy. Microsoft’s close relationship with Nortel apparently prompted Cisco to seek a closer partnership with the software giant. (Although Cisco claims Microsoft came calling because Nortel VARs are […]

Ingram Launches Managed Services for VARs

• March 7, 2007

Ingram Micro is eager to help VARs reinvent themselves as managed service providers. The big distributor, working with LPI Level Platforms Inc. and Savvis Inc., today unveiled a fully hosted Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) platform. Check out preliminary details in this press release—but read the info knowing that it’s straight from the vendor’s mouth. […]

Cashing In On Asterisk

• March 7, 2007

Plenty of VARs are talking about open source solutions. But several VARs have actually bet their business on Digium, the IP telephony server based on Asterisk open source code. One prime example is NeoPhonetics of Tinley Park, Illinois. The VAR is successfully targeting K-12 schools, universities and regional businesses that are seeking simple, cost-effective telephony […]

Nortel Takes Cisco to Task

• March 7, 2007

Where’s The VAR Guy: Disney World or VoiceCon?

• March 7, 2007

Rumors are circulating that The VAR Guy has skipped VoiceCon in Orlando to spend the day with Mickey Mouse over in The Magic Kingdom. Mickey and The VAR Guy go way back; they’ve been spotted together at least 25 times in the last 10 years. The VAR Guy is believed to be staying at a […]

Early WiMAX Deployment Closes Digital Divide

• March 7, 2007

Ball State University CIO H. O’Neal Smitherman stole the show yesterday at MuniWireless 2007: Texas. Smitherman described a WiMAX deployment at the university—one of the first in the United States—that has helped K-12 teachers to more effectively interactive with students in the region. Smitherman caused a stir by suggesting that WiMAX could eventually replace WiFi […]