http://www.channelinsider.com Commentary - RSS Feeds en-us Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:41:29 -0500 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:41:29 -0500 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:54:17 -0500 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/IBMs-MidMarket-Push-497824/?kc=rss - IBM is hell-bent on become the preferred technology and services provider for mid-market customers globally. And in true big-Blue form, they‘ve focused thousands of people and a lot of money to get there. With nearly 25% marketshare across their broad portfolio in the mid-market globally, theyre...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/IBMs-MidMarket-Push-497824/?kc=rss Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:38:17 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/IBM-Mines-VC-Community-for-Diamonds-872333/?kc=rss - Claudia Fan Munce joined IBM 24 years ago as a researcher. Today, still at IBM, Fan Munce is in a decidedly different role. Shes a matchmaker of sorts, bringing select VC-backed ISVs into the IBM fold and connecting them to other IBM business partners to get their solutions to market. “We like to c...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/IBM-Mines-VC-Community-for-Diamonds-872333/?kc=rss Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:03:11 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Microsoft-Danger-TMobile-Outage-Highlights-Need-for-Backup-Even-in-the-Cloud-231246/?kc=rss - Its been an interesting time for services. Microsoft/Danger/T-Mobile lost some of their users data recently when an outage turned into a data loss. Users who hadnt backed up their Sidekick data were out of luck. Many users assumed that because it was a cloud service, it didnt need a backup. I thi...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Microsoft-Danger-TMobile-Outage-Highlights-Need-for-Backup-Even-in-the-Cloud-231246/?kc=rss Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:49:49 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Warmenhovens-New-Role-Channel-Ambassador-801822/?kc=rss - One day last week, Dan Warmenhoven was enjoying a relatively relaxing day compared with the intensity of what his day would have been had he stayed in the chief executives office of NetApp. While he sat in his new cubicle down the hall from his former office, his successor, Tom Georgens, was in New ...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Warmenhovens-New-Role-Channel-Ambassador-801822/?kc=rss Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:38:19 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/HP-Doubles-Down-Data-Center-Bet-299450/?kc=rss - HP's latest enhancements to its PartnerONE program are aimed at increasing its focus on data center solutions through its enterprise channel partners. Since Cisco announced its unified computing system strategy earlier this year, HPs focus on its data center and ProCurve networking solutions channel...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/HP-Doubles-Down-Data-Center-Bet-299450/?kc=rss Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:50:20 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Virtualizations-Impact-on-Managed-Services-676629/?kc=rss - Ive been giving a lot of thought to what virtualization means to managed services. Evolve, my company, recently moved our virtualized server infrastructure to a hosted cloud, which I detailed this in my own blog. We did the math and found we could save money on our hardware investment by not buy...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Virtualizations-Impact-on-Managed-Services-676629/?kc=rss Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:58:50 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Red-Hat-Swimming-Against-the-Tide-899514/?kc=rss - Whats up with Red Hat? Despite a recession that has bitten pretty much everyone in the industry with the same ruthless precision, Red Hat has managed to show six straight quarters of escalating subscription sales. And last week, the open source companys second quarter results beat analysts expec...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Red-Hat-Swimming-Against-the-Tide-899514/?kc=rss Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:51:51 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Dells-Services-Play-Necessary-But-Late-653507/?kc=rss - For me, the Dell/Perot deal is a pretty simple debrief. Dell has been trying to gain relevance in the enterprise, with servers, storage and services. The company had no real comparable services arm to compete with EDS/HP or IBM Global Services. They are worried about getting further commoditized ...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Dells-Services-Play-Necessary-But-Late-653507/?kc=rss Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:55:36 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Stimulating-Future-Customers-338516/?kc=rss - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has declared the recession over, and with good reason. Banks and financial services firms are on the mend. Housing starts and existing home sales are climbing. The markets seem stable. And many of the Fortune 500 set are once again declaring profits. After ...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Stimulating-Future-Customers-338516/?kc=rss Fri, 18 Sep 2009 09:32:17 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Avoiding-Jihad-in-favor-of-Business-Acumen-633602/?kc=rss - If there is nothing we like more in IT, it is religious wars. Our passion for technology often comes out in odd ways, resulting in aggressive stances on technology choices. Let me list some of the jihads we seem to find ways to debate. PC vs. Mac. Open source vs. proprietary. Android vs. iPhone. ...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Avoiding-Jihad-in-favor-of-Business-Acumen-633602/?kc=rss Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:25:11 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/White-Boxes-Plus-HaaS-Have-Potential/?kc=rss - Desktop and laptop manufacturers have seen sales decline precipitously over the last two years. Server sales are off by as much as one-third their 2007 levels. And the average sales price of their core technologies remains in freefall. So why would anyone think the white box market is due for a...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/White-Boxes-Plus-HaaS-Have-Potential/?kc=rss Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:00:32 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Virtualization-Gives-SMBs-Control-657982/?kc=rss - I love speaking to user groups and admittedly I really enjoy working with other solution providers and talking about what we all do. So when I get the opportunity, I try to make these conversations constructive. One of the big questions I hear all the time from customers is, “Is virtualization...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Virtualization-Gives-SMBs-Control-657982/?kc=rss Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:18:49 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Partners-Commanding-Their-Own-Channels-410455/?kc=rss - If there were a line for Cisco certification to act as a master network operation center for other managed service providers who lacked infrastructure, Colorado-based Heit would be at the head of the line. The managed services provider specializing in the financial services sector is a big Cis...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Partners-Commanding-Their-Own-Channels-410455/?kc=rss Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:12:42 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/IBM-Sets-Sights-on-Suns-Partners-288127/?kc=rss - Its been one of the longest standing IT cross-town rivalries for decades. Innovative, irreverent, scrappy Sun Microsystems maneuvering to compete with big, formal, complex IBM, most loudly beginning back in the early ‘90s. A more stark contrast in cultures and marketing campaigns had never befor...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/IBM-Sets-Sights-on-Suns-Partners-288127/?kc=rss Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:46:59 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Manufacturing-a-Road-to-Recovery-362792/?kc=rss - The Car Allowance Rebate System popularly known as the governments “Cash for Clunkers” program is credited with spurring the sale of nearly a half-million new cars and injecting the devastated automotive industry with a much-needed shot in the arm. The $3 billion, monthlong campaign was so succe...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Manufacturing-a-Road-to-Recovery-362792/?kc=rss