Six Channel Partner Blogs The VAR Guy Didn’t Write: Oct. 29

Yawn… The VAR Guy is recovering from jet lag after a week-long road trip. N-able Partner Summit, SMB Nation and Avnet-IBM Partner Summit are now history. So, what did The VAR Guy learn while on the road? And what blog entries is he yet to write? Here are six channel blog entries that The VAR Guy didn’t have time to publish for the week ending October 29, 2010.

7. Another Acquisition?: Rumor has it IBM is looking to acquire Fortinet, which specializes in network security systems, reports Reuters. If a deal happens how will Fortinet channel partners react? The VAR Guy plans to find the answers.

6. Shifting From Silverlight to HTML 5: That was the big buzz at Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference (PDC). Sure, Microsoft continues to tout Silverlight. But it sounds like the software giant will increasingly promote HTML 5 for complete cross-platform development, according to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley.

5.  Nearly A Done Deal: Sirius Computer Solutions, Inc. is acquiring MSI Systems Integrators (MSI). The deal is expected to close by the end of November. After the merger, Sirius will have proforma annual revenues exceeding $1 billion annually, according to a press release. That’s certainly enough to qualify for next year’s VAR500 list… not that The VAR Guy has anything to do with that.

4. Cooperating and Competing: Even as Intel acquires McAfee, the chip giant is partnering up with McAfee rival Symantec — though the latest engagement involves storage rather than security. Specifically, Intel is making Symantec Backup Exec 2010 available to its system builder partners through its network of Authorized Distributors in North America.

3. Three Times the Fun: Somehow, The VAR Guy will be attending Symantec Partner Engage (Las Vegas), ConnectWise IT Nation (Orlando) and the Open-Xchange Partner Summit (Germany) the week of Nov. 1. How can The VAR Guy be in three time zones — and on two continents — all at once? Stay tuned…

2. Big Deal: The new Microsoft Partner Network is set to launch November 1. What does that mean for Microsoft’s channel partners — both on premises and in the cloud? The VAR Guy will have all the details on November 1.

1. Check the Headline: Sorry, this is a top six list. There is no number one. Never has been. Never will be.

That’s all for now. The VAR Guy thanks you for your continued readership.

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