VARs/SIs

MySQL Says Yes to VARs, No to IPO (For Now)

• April 24, 2007

The VAR Guy was half-right. He figured MySQL would launch a partner program during this week’s big customer and developer conference in Santa Clara. He also expected the open source database provider to announce plans for an IPO later this year. Alas, Wall Street may have to wait a little longer. First, details about the […]

Dell, Red Hat: Discussing Desktop Deal?

• April 23, 2007

The VAR Guy is choosing his words carefully for this blog entry. He doesn’t know for certain if Dell plans to pre-load Red Hat Linux on desktop PCs. But circumstantial evidence pointing to that possibility is mounting. Here are the facts. First, Dell has publicly stated that it plans to announce a Linux desktop strategy […]

Symantec, Trend Micro: SaaS Showdown

• April 23, 2007

Symantec is set to announce quarterly results on May 2, but The VAR Guy is focused on the company’s longer-term business. And he’s here to tell you: Something big is coming, folks. And it involves an online showdown with up-and-comer Trend Micro. For the first time since Symantec acquired Veritas nearly two years ago, the […]

Cisco Calls In Reinforcements Against Microsoft

• April 23, 2007

Cisco Systems is showing no mercy in the unified communications market. CEO John Chambers wants to bury Microsoft and Nortel. Now, he’s calling on a massive software partner to help knock out the competition. Indeed, Cisco is partnering with SAP to develop network-aware SOA business applications. That’s jargon for “we’re ganging up against Microsoft and […]

Sunday Brunch: Surprises From CA World?

• April 22, 2007

Welcome to Sunday Brunch for April 22, 2007. Here’s a look at items The VAR Guy is watching this week.

Sunday, April 22:

My iPhone Has Arrived

• April 20, 2007

While working from home today, The VAR Guy noticed a package at his front door. It was a generic brown shipping box, about the size of a brick. Hmmm. Had The VAR Guy’s new iPhone arrived a little early? Sort of. The VAR Guy eagerly opened the generic box. Yes, indeed. The packaging inside said […]

Dell Downgrades to XP; Examines Ubuntu Linux

• April 20, 2007

Apparently, many PC buyers prefer Microsoft’s older, poorly secured operating system rather than the shiny new Windows Vista. In fact, Dell has decided to re-introduce Windows XP on some of its consumer PCs, effective immediately. Next up: There’s a high possibility that Dell will introduce PCs with Ubuntu Linux, The VAR Guy hears. Dell’s moves, […]

What’s Clogging Windows Now?

• April 19, 2007

The VAR Guy has a message for Redmond and the PC industry. It’s time to put an end to craplets, those “useless, annoying trial versions of programs” that are packed onto new Windows PCs, as the Wall Street Journal put it today. Windows Vista was supposed to appease frustrated Windows XP users, restore faith in […]

Cisco, Apple on Collision Course Again

• April 17, 2007

Hold the iPhone. Cisco Systems and Apple may wind up fighting for the remote control in your living room. Here’s why. Less than two months after Apple and Cisco settled a lawsuit involving the iPhone name, Cisco has pumped some money into Avega Systems. The startup focuses on “whole-home” connectivity and digital content management. Hmmm. […]

Goodbye, Tivoli… Hello Open Source?

• April 17, 2007

The VAR Guy rarely writes about industry research reports. You can never tell who’s really funding them. But in this case — involving a showdown between open source vs. traditional IT management software — he’ll make an exception. First, you likely know the Big Four IT management platforms: HP OpenView, IBM Tivoli, CA Unicenter and […]

Symantec Software as a Service: Friend or Foe?

• April 17, 2007

It happens every time a software company pushes into managed services. The media immediately begins to speculate: Will the managed service empower VARs or compete with them? In the case of Symantec’s new managed services platform, VARs are participating in the development and roll-out process. So far, so good, The VAR Guy hears. After months […]

Dell Ready to Polish Its Brand

• April 16, 2007

One of The VAR Guy’s neighbors just received a Dell notebook at work, which he called a “laptitude or something like that.” Like millions of other consumers, this neighbor had never heard of Dell’s Latitude brand. Apparently, Dell is finally read to change that. The struggling PC giant has hired Oracle Corp. veteran Mark Jarvis […]

15 Moments That Changed CA, Charles and Sanjay Forever

• April 15, 2007

Current CA Inc. management has worked overtime to clean up the accounting mess left behind by former CEO Sanjay Kumar. Now, CA alleges former Chairman and Co-founder Charles Wang also was involved in the fraud. (He denies the allegation.) How did CA and Wang reach this showdown? Here are 15 defining moments that changed CA […]

Judgment Week for AMD, Intel … and Vista

• April 15, 2007

The bruising battle between AMD and Intel this week shifts to Wall Street, where both companies are scheduled to announce quarterly results. Sure, we’ll learn just how badly Intel has hammered AMD — and whether AMD thinks it can recover quickly. But we also may receive valuable clues — some spoken, some silent–about Windows Vista’s […]

Video Surveillance Meets Wireless Mesh

• April 15, 2007

The VAR Guy hears it over and over again: One of the next killer applications for IT consultants is video surveillance deployed within a city wireless mesh solution. That was a big theme at the Cisco Partner Summit in early April. And it’s a growing theme among IT consultants, including those that partner with Firetide […]