Developing an effective strategy to address myriad security threats takes time, personnel and a significant monetary investment. But compared to the potential loss of customers, reputation and revenue, these expenditures are paltry. Here are seven steps Accenture says you can take to help you and your customers develop a holistic strategy.

To win midmarket IT customers, you must understand how those IT executives think and who they rely on for advice.

The IT industry is in the midst of a mass metamorphosis. Lines are blurring between networking technologies, storage, servers, software and telephony. Vendors that represent the tried and true establishment in one discipline are now making hard-right turns into new, largely unfamiliar and often competitive markets. Read on to see just a few of the major convergence plays of the last year.

Solution providers that invest in vendor technical certifications are more profitable, sell more complex systems and have better relationships with their customers, according to the new Channel Insider/Amazon Consulting certification study. But not all vendor certifications have the same ROI. The following vendors have the best certifications for return on their partners’ investment.

Microsoft isn’t the first vendor to offer free antivirus software to consumers and small businesses. Several vendors have free general available versions of their malware protection suites. Their strategy: get customers interested and open opportunity to partners. Here are few worth free AV packages worth considering.

Microsoft is gearing up for its annual Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans next month by honoring its partners who have demonstrated excellence over the last year. The following Microsoft partners received 'Partner of the Year' awards for innovation, technology delivery and professional services.

Channel Insider & Amazon Consulting asked IT vendors about the professional sales training and certification they make available to channel partners and the benefits they gain from it. We also polled 457 solution providers on the same topic to see how regularly they avail themselves of sales training and what rewards they receive from it. The results are a clear indication that solution and consultative selling leads to higher sales and margins.

Technical certifications are a major factor in end users' selection of solution and service providers. Channel Insider and Amazon Consulting asked more than 200 enterprise and midmarket purchases which vendor certifications they value the most when selecting a solution provider. Here are the top seven.

If failing banks, tight credit and swelling unemployment ranks are getting you down and there’s no sign of hope in site, take heart. While the total picture is far from rosy, there are growing signs pointing to some hope for a better economic future for technology sales. Here are a handful of them.

Enterprises to small businesses are facing a increasing number of threats and risk exposure, and they're often ill-equipped to deal with security problems, according to a new survey by CompTIA. Here's where solution providers can help rescue end users from their security woes.

Virtualization—already transforming servers and storage—is ready for the desktop. Several vendors are pushing their desktop virtualization technology, creating new opportunities to optimize user productivity while decreasing operational support and maintenance. Here’s a look at these vendors and their technologies.

The fight against security threats is never-ending, forever-changing and now more severe.Read on to see some of the most common methods and circumstances that can lead to a vulnerability with your network or systems.

Server hardware sales have taken a larger than average hit this past year, due mainly to the recession but also to the wave of server and data center virtualization. IBM and HP lead the pack of vendors, but for better trending take a look at these numbers.

Distributors and VARs report that Apple's Mac platform has gained momentum in business implementations in recent years. And while Apple hasn’t earned a great reputation with solution provider channel partners, VARs still sell and integrate Apple products. And other third-party companies that work with the Apple platform do offer channel programs. Here’s a selection of Apple and Apple compatible technology solutions for business.

Solution providers will join two to three vendor partner programs this year, mostly to gain access to new technologies and products, according the Channel Insider/Motorola Partnership Study. Here are the 10 technologies most desired by solution providers.

We learn from the experiences and wisdom of others. Channel Insider asked successful solution providers what books have both inspired them and have shaped their approach to making their businesses a success. Here is Channel Insider’s recommended reading list, straight from the source—the Channel Insider community.

Losses continue to run wild on Wall Street, but tech stocks are one bright spot for those looking to invest. With last month’s earnings round up many companies indicated they have seen the bottom and expect to see modest gains in the second quarter. Following are 10 tech stocks that continue to outperform the rest.

Don’t buy your mom or your favorite moms another bouquet of wilted flowers as a gift to wish her a Happy Mothers Day. Sure, she’ll smile, give you a big hug and thank you. But what she really wants is something digital. You’re not the only one who likes gadgets, you know. Here’s what Mom really wants – compiled by Channel Insider’s staff moms.

Star Trek’s Captain Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise take to the silver screen this week in the latest warp-speed adventure set in the 23rd century. For the last 43 years, Star Trek has inspired scientists and engineers with technological visions of the future. But, how advanced is Star Trek’s technology? There are many 21st century solutions that VARs could implement to make the Enterprise more efficient and secure.

Several security vendors and professional groups released new security survey reports revealing that security budgets are under pressure, but priorities and spending are relatively stable.

The RSA Conference is arguably the world's largest gathering of security vendors, solution providers and end user professionals. While the recession put a damper on this year's event, RSA still drew dozens of companies with new and innovative technologies. Here are a few ofthe more interesting exhibits at this year's RSA Conference.

Tax day is upon, so you’re really under the gun if you haven’t done your taxes yet. If you rush, you may overlook many common, valuable tax deductions. Failing to take account of these deductions could cost you thousands.

After nearly a decade of threat warnings, evolving threats and billions of dollars in technology investments, you’d think that businesses have at least a baseline of IT security protections. Recent reports reveal some surprising security shortcomings in the business community.

Hardware vendors are expected to be among the hardest hit by the recession. So it's not a surprise to see them come up with some creative tricks to boost sales and help their solution provider partners close more deals. Here are a few tricks tactics that you can use to get customers to open their wallets.

The U.S. job market continues to shed jobs and is at its weakest in more than a quarter century. However, business technology consumers continue to seek help from highly trained technology professionals. The following are the technology skill sets in highest demand.

The economy is beginning to show signs of life, but it’s far from being healthy or robust. Channel Insider asked solution providers which vendors will drive the most customer interest in their products and revenues for their partners. In these tough times, these vendors were voted as the top rainmakers.

St. Patrick's Day and the color green go together. In honor of the green, Channel Insider built a system designed to satisfy both the environmental green and the need to save greenbacks - two things every system builder is after these days. That means selecting parts that sport ROHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) and WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) logos, as well as offering Energy Star compliance. Beyond that, the components must work together. After all, a poorly functioning PC can never be green. So follow along as Channel Insider puts the green into the desktop PC for St. Paddy's day.

Technology stocks have been hammered by the recession, and many of the one-time blue chips are now trading below $20 per share. Channel Insider went bargain hunting and find common items and tech stocks you can buy for less than one Andrew Jackson.

Following Apple’s lead, Microsoft, Nokia and Blackberry are launching their own online apps store for mobile devices. Here are Channel Insider’s choices for mobile apps that these vendors should stock for mobile users.

The recession is hitting some industries harder than others. These verticals are cutting IT spending faster than others.

The recession is taking a toll on vendor and distributor revenues. The Channel Insider 2009 Market Pulse survey finds that solution providers expect stark changes in their relationships with vendors and distributors over the next 12 months.

The economy is slowing and tech product pricing is under pressure. When it comes to making money, these technologies are where solution providers think they'll get the most bang for their buck over the next 12 months.

IT spending is under pressure and businesses are looking to contain costs wherever they can, but these technologies really have them excited. According to the Channel Insider 2009 Market Pulse survey, these top 10 technologies are what solution providers are asking for most.

Cash is the lifeblood of business, but credit and financing is what fuels most business. Despite the economic meltdown, solution providers say credit isn’t a problem, but there are reasons for worry. Here's Channel Insider's exclusive analysis of credit trends in the solution provider community.

Channel Insider asked solution providers which vendors would provide the most support and stability during the recession. Based on the survey responses, the following vendors are ranked as the ones solution providers can count on to help them through a recession.

Spammers and cybercriminals are working harder than ever to develop ever-sneakier ways to launch an attack. In anticipation of a 2009 filled with increasingly sophisticated threats from spammers, here are some top strategies IT and security pros can use to thwart the bad guys, compiled from security experts from MXLogic, Websense and Bell Micro.

Counterfeit IT hardware and pirated software is on the rise, fueled by a stagnant economy and end users need to do more with less. Here are 5 tips from vendors, consultants and solution providers to ensure your customers get what they pay for.

Even as product sales slowed, demand for professional and break/fix services accelerated. OnForce, the world’s largest marketplace for IT and consumer electronics service professionals, tracked which tech services job yielded the highest billings. The following are the highest paying services engagements of 2008.

New research by Channel Insider and Amazon Consulting reveals vendors not only get the growing opportunity in managed services, but are quickly developing programs to support this burgeoning market. Here are 10 things you don’t know about how vendors perceive and support partners’ managed services.

Technology vendors and suppliers have slashed more than 200,000 jobs since the recession began. In January only, more than 125,000 job cuts were announced. Here’s a look at the top 10 tech companies that have announced mass layoffs.

iPhones are for more than just conversations, playing music and causal Web browsing. Some lightweight applications are providing solution providers, businesses and IT pros with some innovative extensions to resources and capabilities once reserved exclusively for PCs.

The data security breach at Heartland Payment Systems underscores the need for robust and constant security measures. Rob Fitzgerald, founder of the Lorenzi Group, offers these six tips for solution providers to help keep their customers’ data secure.

No vendor program is perfect and every vendor has incidents of violating their boundaries with channel partners, but the recession is presenting extraordinary temptation to curtail channel efforts in favor of preserving direct revenues and profits. In the Channel Insider 2009 Market Pulse survey, we asked solution providers which vendors were most likely to compromise their partners and channels to preserve their revenues and margins during the recession. The following are the top 10, as ranked by Channel Insider readers.

A look at the frequency, reasons for and consequences of changing the software platforms that enable remote monitoring and management of managed services delivered by solution providers.

Google has spent the last several years playing on the periphery of one of Microsoft’s richest markets: Office applications. Now Google is launching a reseller program to accelerate the adoption of its Web-based Google apps. But Google isn’t the only one trying to challenge Microsoft’s dominance of everyday productivity apps—word processors, spreadsheets, presentations and databases. Several alternatives—many of them free—are attacking Microsoft. Here are a few alternatives worth considering.

In the Channel Insider 2009 Market Pulse Survey, we asked solution providers which vendors they thought would go out of business or be acquired in 2009. The results may shock you. Based on their perceptions and predictions, the following are the vendors that made the going list of those that won’t be here in 2010.

Oil prices may be plummeting, but it won’t last forever. If the energy shock in recent years has taught us anything it’s that conservation is good for both the environment and business. These tech vendors are leading the charge in making the earth greener and more efficient.

Looking for the perfect gift for your favorite IT solution provider? Look no further. Channel Insider polled some of our favorite solution providers and added some of our own ideas to come up with a collection of gadgets that any tech enthusiast would love to get in his or her holiday stocking this year. If you need some last minute gift ideas for the geek in your life, look no further than our picks.

Managed services promises to be a cost-saving alternative to on-premise hardware and software solutions. According to a CompTIA survey, managed services demand will increase significantly in these five industrial sectors.

While you’re surfing the Web during work hours trying to find the best deal on an iPod Touch, spammers and cybercriminals are hard at work on ever-sneakier ways to launch an attack. Security vendors MXLogic, WebSense and Microsoft say trouble is brewing for 2009, so be on the lookout for these emerging threats. In fact, you might want to resolve to do whatever it takes to thwart them.

Turnover of channel chiefs and executives accelerated in 2008, with more than two dozen high-profile leaders changing jobs or leaving their posts. Here are some of the most visible and high-profile executives that have changed employers.

Channel Insider wanted to see if we could build a high-performance custom PC suitable for power business users and gamers for under $5,000. We achieved our goal…big time! Here’s a step-by-step guide for how we did it, and how you can build a hot, high-performance custom system that will have users begging for more.

Unified communications remains a bright spot for IT solution providers. The unified communications market is expected to grow from $200.8 million in 2007 to $2.433 billion by 2012, according to recent research from Unified Communications Strategies. Professional services will increase product revenues by 18 percent in 2007, reaching 40 percent in 2012. Most of the big-name players are represented, with Microsoft, Cisco and Avaya the best-known in the space. But there are some smaller vendors and traditional telecommunications companies making big waves with solutions targeted to SMBs. Here’s our list of the major players.

Data loss prevention (DLP) is one of the hottest security technologies in the market. Microsoft and RSA's new alliance may revolutionize DLP, but there are plenty of products on the market today that offer varying levels of data protection. Here's a sampling of the market leaders.

When it comes to getting a great return on investment, end users say these channel-centrix vendors can't be beat.

The channel’s all abuzz about cloud storage these days, as the technology can offer cost savings, incredible scalability, high availability and the flexibility of on-demand capacity. But it’s not a one-size-fits-all technology, and there are a number of vendors emerging each with their own unique way of leveraging the technology. This is by no means an all-inclusive list, and it’s important to make sure you’re choosing the right cloud storage for the types of data, access needs and price constraints of your customers. But as the space heats up, here are five cloud storage providers whose names you should be familiar with.

Businesses large and small are cutting their spending—IT, staffing, marketing and sales—in response to either decreasing business or anticipation of lower revenues as a result of the recession. According to Computer Economics, the following are some of the key areas where companies are cutting spending and, in some cases, opening new opportunities for solution providers.

Solution providers are struggling to find IT sales and technology talent to capture deals and service their customers. While IT vendors believe solution providers are responsible for solving their talent issues, they are helping by providing funded headcount, training opportunities, lending sales and technicians, assisting with recruitment services, and facilitating peer-to-peer partnering. According to the Channel Insider/Amazon Consulting Channel IT Talent survey, the following are how solution providers ranked vendors’ performance at assisting them with their talent needs and problems.

When it comes to IT jobs, good help is hard to find, even in this economy. Solution providers are having a hard time filling IT jobs for sales and tech talent, according to the Channel IT Talent survey conducted by Channel Insider and Amazon Consulting. Here’s how the IT jobs crisis is impacting solution provider businesses.

The financial services crisis and the deteriorating economy are having an impact on solution providers’ business. The result is less robust sales, revenues and profits in 2008 than most anticipated.

Channel Insider asked VARs, MSPs, IT consultants, IT solution providers and resellers about how the Wall Street meltdown and financial crisis would affect their businesses and their IT customers' businesses in the months ahead. Here is what they said.

IT vendors have long recognized the potential value of midmarket customers, and most agree that the best way to reach these customers is through channel partners, VARs, resellers, IT consultants and solution providers. But in order to win over those customers, solution providers and IT consultants must understand how they think, the nature of their pain points and who they listen to.

If you balk at the idea of offering financing because it doesn't seem worth the complexity or time commitment, you may want to reconsider. Programs available through a variety of technology specialty financing organizations and IT distributors make it quick and easy to offer this option to customers.

Here are a few of the most basic kinds of credit and finance vehicles available to the solution provider channel and its customers. These are all available through distributors or other technology finance providers.

Here are six types of green IT improvements that can be facilitated by managed services.

Thanks to Asus, AMD and a few other vendors, an instant-on PC that sips power, yet shouts performance, is more than just a dream.

Are IT certifications commanding the same kind of respect as they used to? Some recent surveys have suggested that they don't. But that doesn't mean that IT certifications have lost all their value. Here are some reasons why IT certifications still matter.

Creative Labs gets creative with its all-in-one inPerson videoconferencing solution and service.

Stuck with with old IT hardware and unsure how to dispose of it properly? Here's how Converge helps solution providers get rid of their IT junk.

Watch your back. Here are the vendors, distributors, telcos and services firms out to grab a piece of your MSP action.

Five simple ways to increase your employment value without IT certifications.

A quick look at some Symantec alternatives for SMB shops.

See where your peers are falling short in financial planning, and learn how to avoid these common fiscal errors.

Try as they might, Symantec officials are still struggling to clarify just what will and will not change for their reseller partners in the wake of executive comments at Symantec Vision 2008 last month.

If high travel and energy costs have your customers holding off on IT purchases, it's time to sell them on telepresence, an immersive form of video conferencing that could save them money in the long run.

A joint research project from Amazon Consulting and Channel Insider.

Why should large enterprises have all the fun when it comes to virtualization technology? Small businesses can benefit too. Build an inexpensive desktop virtualization server that brings virtualized desktops to client PCs anywhere, and at a price anyone can afford.

As brothers Dan and Michael Schwab take over and prepare to move D&H Distributing into the next generation, here's a look at some of the cutting-edge technology that's come and gone over the last 40 years.

Freeware is often maligned as "too good to be true." After all, how can something that is free for the taking be any good?

Although there are plenty of emerging technologies to choose from, solution providers should make strategic selections. Here are some tips for how to go about choosing the right ones.

Misery loves company. So, why not be the company that finds the silver lining in these seven technology storm clouds?

Resellers should help clients plan their security spend, in much the same way that they plan the rest of their IT spending. CDW's Payton Engel Shows you how.

PC Tune-Up is one of those utilities that proves to be worth the price of admission. The product offers both a solution to real problems and can drive service revenue for solution providers looking to add PC Tune-Up to their bandoleer of utilities.

Want to know which IT certifications still get respect? Here's the short list.

D-Link's latest IP cameras bring the security of video to almost anywhere.

Slideshow: Plenty of VARs are excited by the prospect of overnight success in Managed Services. But leaping into the market can be a recipe for failure. Here are the key steps successful MSPs have identified to improve their chances.

Witness the technologies that grabbed the most attention among the 1,000 VARs gather for the SMB-focused distributor's annual event.

It can be a long journey between getting a list of vendor leads and actually making a sale. Here's a list of steps to follow to convert that daunting list of names into real business deals.

After gorging themselves on technology, an increasing number of companies are looking for ways to condense their computing environments and save on energy costs. Here is what Electronic Data Systems, which has a strong green IT practice, recommends.

Fujitsu’s tiny tablet PC is loaded with features that rival larger notebook computers.

OnForce, the online exchange of professional IT services between solution providers, compiled the following market intelligence from more than 750,000 work orders it processed in the first three months of 2008 on behalf of nearly 13,000 solution providers.

Here are some quick tips to make sure users are on the road to going green.

Avoid bleeding edge technology and ensure you get the best return on your time and money. Here are some tips that will help you sidestep pitfalls when selecting an emerging technology.

Whether it's the price of real estate in Manhattan or engineers trying to squeeze another year out of an oil well in Alaska, these ten verticals are driving opportunity for VARs that can reduce their power and cooling needs.

From maintaining open communications to providing incentives and always playing fair, it's easy to spot the vendors who treat their partners right. Here's how to tell if your vendor is a straight channel shooter.

Infrastructure and data protection continues to provide the richest opportunity for solution providers in 2008.

VARs weigh in on who tops the list of the best vendors for small and midsize businesses.

Emerging technologies promise greater margins and opportunities to build services, but not all are ready for the channel.

Cisco's Partner Summit was held the week of April 7 in Honolulu. Here is a look at some of what we saw.

The editorial team at Channel Insider have selected the executives in the channel they think deserve a special mention for everything they did in last year for the channel. Find out now who made the grade.

Finding your way around behemoth vendors such as Microsoft can be a daunting task for a business partner. We've put together a list of the top six channel executives who you should know to help build your relationship with the software giant.

Under CEO Robert Dutkowsky, Tech Data has aggressively expanded its services, support and solutions offerings for its more than 100,000 reseller customers worldwide with new divisions and channel initiatives for SMBs (small and midsize businesses), large enterprises and government agencies. These are the top five initiatives for 2008 and the channel execs behind them.

IT directors and managers are looking for value when hiring a solution provider, according to Channel Insider research. While 62 percent cite "best value for the money" as an influential factor when selecting a solution provider, only 12 percent cite low price as a consideration.IT managers also want solution providers to better deliver technical analysis, recommend technologies they can investigate and demonstrate better ROI.

Doing business is always easier when you know someone on the inside. That's why Channel Insider has compiled these must-have lists of go-to people.

Here's a look at how some businesspeople are using free online social networks as tools for networking, business leads and marketing.

Earth Day is no longer just about planting a tree and forgetting about it until next year.  While the general public's awareness of environmental issues has been steadily on the rise, more companies are beginning to jump on the bandwagon as well, selling their end customers on both the positive PR and the cost savings gained by going green. Here are some ideas VARs can take to their end customers.
 

As the world's largest technology distributor, Ingram Micro has held a unique position in the technology marketplace, and has been serving both vendors and resellers through marketing programs, outsourced logistics services, technical support, financial services, and product aggregation and distribution since 1979. The company serves about 170,000 resellers in 150 countries with hundreds of thousands of IT products worldwide from nearly 1,400 suppliers. Here are the top five channel executives you need to know at Ingram Micro.

Whether you want routers or switches or teleconferencing or Telepresence, Cisco is a go-to vendor for most networking needs. The company sells 80 percent of its products and services through channel partners and claims more than 30,000 partners as part if its channel program. Here's the lineup of Cisco executives making decisions about the company's channel program.

The Lifebook A6120 is solid desktop replacement system.

 

Too big to comfortably lug around, Fujitsu’s E8410 LifeBook is aimed directly at the desktop user who wants some portability when necessary. By Frank Ohlhorst

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day by building a green PC! There is more to being green than just power usage. System builders will need to consider how components are manufactured and whether those components meet ROHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) and WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) requirements, which reduce the effects of hazardous waste. Energy Star compliance is another good indicator of power efficiency, but, in the end, it comes down to selecting the right components and making them work together. After all, a poorly functioning PC can never be green. By Frank Ohlhorst

Here are the 10 coolest things I saw at CeBIT this year. By Sara Driscoll

If vendor services programs are at odds with the services that solution provider partners offer, what can be done to smooth out the rough edges in the relationship? Here, we offer insight into how vendors and solution providers can diplomatically—and profitably—navigate through these murky waters.

According to Ziff Davis Enterprise Research, which conducted online surveys with 245 IT directors and managers, there are a number of influencing factors when it comes to selecting a service provider. Find out what the top 10 factors are here.  

The latest iteration of Nuance’s PDF Converter Pro takes aim at Adobe Acrobat by working with PDFs cheaper, faster and better.

When it comes to optimizing the WAN, Exinda Networks has an appliance-based approach that offers more than just bandwidth control.

With the reorganization of IBM's SMB group into its General Business Group and the restructure of the company's hardware unit, it can be hard for VARs to know who to go to when they need something done. Here is the Channel Insider take on the top five IBM execs VARs should get to know.

New displays grow in size and features, yet shrink in prices to woo consumers. International CES 2008, in Las Vegas, is all about new products and what they mean to consumers, but that does not mean the channel should be left out! After all, who will sell

The Konica Minolta 8650DN moves printers beyond commodity status.

Marathon Technologies provides a different approach to high availability and failover with EverRun HA 7.1.1 for physical and virtual Windows Server environments.

A Ziff Davis Enterprise online survey finds that VARs and solution providers are optimistic for next year, with vertical markets and mobile technology being seen as key drivers.

An online survey was conducted among a sample of technology decision makers selected from the Ziff Davis Enterprise Service Provider database from Nov. 27 to Dec. 10, 2007. In total, 393 ZDE subscribers qualified for and completed the survey. Qualified re

Toshiba's AMD Turion-based portable combines value with features for the channel.

The latest PCs in the Lenovo ThinkCentre family include the M57p, a model that offers a small footprint, energy efficiency, good performance and enhanced management capabilities.

After more than 20 years touting a direct-only philosophy, Dell made a splash last year with its first official channel program. But navigating the executives who are making the decisions can be tough for first-timers. Here's a guide to get you started.

Dell and direct sales have been synonymous for years. But now the company is launching its very own indirect channel program, complete with deal registration. Further, Dell says it's been quietly working with the channel for years. Here are some facts ab

Lately, it seems that Dell makes something for everybody. However, many of Dell's products are destined for direct sales or even retail distribution. What's the channel to do? The Channel Insider picked five products from Dell that could prove to be chann

In fiscal year 2006, IT distribution enjoyed its biggest sales year since the record-setting year of 2000, before it all came crashing down in the dot-com bust. Here are some of the technologies that led the pack, courtesy of the Global Technology Distrib

Intel reshuffled some of its channel ranks in 2007, offered partners a suite of Google advertising tools and new options around market development funds, and generally gained more momentum against rival AMD. Here are the people who made it happen—Int

In the 2007 Vendor Value and Satisfaction Survey, conducted by Ziff Davis Enterprise Research, 472 qualified respondents were asked to rate vendors on value, reliability and loyalty. Of these respondents, 170 were from companies with revenues of between $

During the last two years, Hewlett-Packard has stabilized its PartnerOne channel program and made its channel partners a larger part of its go-to-market strategy. But because it can still be tricky to navigate HP’s numerous divisions—and even harder

As this season of giving thanks arrives, VARs have a lot to be grateful for.

Eset’s ESS (Eset Smart Security) is a desktop suite that provides anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam and firewall features in a single, easy-to-deploy and easy-to-manage package. ESS is designed to protect consumers and small and midsize businesses from

The transition from solution provider to managed service provider can be tough. Here are the top five challenges your company is likely to face, based on a survey of 325 channel professionals.

The Computing Technology Industry Association focused on finding the major opportunities within the convergence market for the small and midsize business sector in the United States and Canada.

Channel Labs offers a step-by-step guide for providing your customers with Linux on Windows Vista PCs.

Findings from a Computing Technology Industry Association survey suggest how small and midsize businesses will spend their money on technology in 2008.

eWEEK has found seven backup service providers that are looking for partners.

IBM's new online Grow Your Business with IBM Software portal spoonfeeds SMBs information from the vendor's enormous product catalog and uses wizards to plot out logical steps to growth.

Gartner lays out some ground rules for getting into software as a service. (Source: Gartner)

Gartner stats show that the growth rate of software as a service is overtaking that of software in a number of technology categories.

,B>Slide show: Resellers rate their vendor partners and key channel programs elements.

The year may not have been stellar, but the channel fared better than other sectors of the economy, and some thanks and praise are due to the following groups and events this year.

Each year the channel sees a mind-boggling variety of new products and technologies that invariably carry the promise of higher profits. Here are 10 we found most promising.

IDC software analysts share their predictions for the channel in 2007.

The 110th Congress is facing a number of issues that could benefit or upset VARs, from small-business tax credits to more H-1B visas. CompTIA and ChannelInsider.com propose a legislative agenda VARs should note.

Vendor leads can be useful if you follow the right steps. From the editors of eWEEK Strategic Partner, here are 10 tips that will net you the best leads.

Solution providers choose 2006's channel products of the year in 26 categories.

by Chris Preimesberger

From the Dell effect to Cisco’s new footing, Ziff Davis Editorial Director Mike Vizard delivers his mid-term channel report card.

eWEEK Labs picks out 50 channel products worth keeping tabs on from the categories of Enterprise Software, Mobile & Wireless, Security, Management and Infrastructure.

Storage | Security | Infrastructure | CIO | Channel | Mobile & Wireless | Desktop/Notebook/Printer