http://www.channelinsider.com Commentary - RSS Feeds en-us Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:31:39 -0400 Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:31:39 -0400 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:41:46 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Managed-Services-Time-to-Grow-Up-492671/?kc=rss - Pundits love to surmise the state of technology markets: Whats up, whats down, whats still to come. A particular favorite is the topic of managed services. Despite its prominence in headlines for nearly five years now – and a whole predecessor market that included the failed ASP model – the state of...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Managed-Services-Time-to-Grow-Up-492671/?kc=rss Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:56:38 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Watching-Old-Friends-Become-Enemies-500642/?kc=rss - In a global virtual press and analyst roundtable, Cisco CTO Padmasree Warrior said blade servers being developed by Cisco for its Unified Computing Systems are not intended to compete with existing servers offered by IBM, Dell, Hewlett-Packard or Sun Microsystems. Rather, she says, the UCS strate...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Watching-Old-Friends-Become-Enemies-500642/?kc=rss Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:41:48 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Who-Says-Silicon-Valleys-the-Startup-Hub-235587/?kc=rss - Launching an IT company in Indianapolis isnt as sexy as Silicon Valley, but the economics are pretty appealing. Just ask Jeff Ready, an Indiana native, who has spent the majority of his career launching startups in Silicon Valley. Recently, he decided to move back to the Midwest to be closer to ...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Who-Says-Silicon-Valleys-the-Startup-Hub-235587/?kc=rss Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:57:22 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Nothing-Beats-Word-of-Mouth-899591/?kc=rss - Many years ago, Faberge Organic shampoos launched a commercial with the tagline “I told my friends and they told two friends, and so on and so on…” The idea being the product was so fantastic that it was being sold by word of mouth. Today, many people may not remember Faberge but they do remembe...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Nothing-Beats-Word-of-Mouth-899591/?kc=rss Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:45:08 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Balancing-Act-Do-Core-Products-Suffer-When-Vendors-Seek-New-Markets-614407/?kc=rss - Breaking ground on new and emerging technology areas is what keeps this industry alive and kicking. Yet established, market-leading technology vendors face a tricky balancing act when they set their sights on new frontiers. At the same time they are opening their wallets and committing their engi...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Balancing-Act-Do-Core-Products-Suffer-When-Vendors-Seek-New-Markets-614407/?kc=rss Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:59:16 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/PC-Sales-Require-Salesmanship-656280/?kc=rss - Staples is advertising a Dell desktop with a 19-inch monitor for $549 after rebate. Best Buy is offering Toshiba Satellite notebooks computer for as low as $349. The new Circuitcity.com is sporting Acer notebooks for as low $330. No surprise that personal computers have become commodity items. No ...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/PC-Sales-Require-Salesmanship-656280/?kc=rss Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:16:56 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Dynamic-Web-Site-Woo-Customers-513178/?kc=rss - Customers are no longer waiting for your television or magazine ads. E-mail boxes are full of newsletters, important special offers and product release news. Direct mail is costly and often times the administrative and mailroom staffs are the only ones to see the postcards you send. With advertising...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Dynamic-Web-Site-Woo-Customers-513178/?kc=rss Sun, 07 Jun 2009 22:06:52 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Behind-Ciscos-Flip-for-Video-Collaboration-314138/?kc=rss - Keith Goodwin, Ciscos senior vice president of worldwide channels, deserves an Oscar for his performance at the Cisco Partner Summit last week in Boston. When his colleague Andrew Sage finished talking about collaboration and the utility of the Flip video camera, Goodwin playfully asked how he c...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Behind-Ciscos-Flip-for-Video-Collaboration-314138/?kc=rss Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:59:26 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Whos-Watching-Your-Online-Reputation-772755/?kc=rss - There has been a lot of discussion about how businesses and individuals need to participate in social networks to get their messages out, but there is little discussion related to managing online reputation. Vehicles such as Angies List, Facebook and YouTube are prime locations for your custom...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Whos-Watching-Your-Online-Reputation-772755/?kc=rss Wed, 27 May 2009 12:50:33 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Caught-Up-in-Data-Center-Convergence-466098/?kc=rss - One of the major new trends in enterprise computing that solution providers have to tread carefully is the push to lower the total cost of computing in the data center by converging network, server and storage technologies. On paper, the whole concept is pretty compelling. By creating a new gener...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Caught-Up-in-Data-Center-Convergence-466098/?kc=rss Thu, 21 May 2009 14:07:56 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Death-of-the-Salespeople-353101/?kc=rss - For the last 25 years the classic Type A personality sales person has figured prominently in just about every significant deal involving IT. They may not always have known a whole lot about IT, but usually they were proficient at establishing relationships and gaining the confidence of customers. ...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Death-of-the-Salespeople-353101/?kc=rss Mon, 18 May 2009 08:41:07 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Carmakers-Provide-Performance-Warning-341467/?kc=rss - No surprise to anyone, the auto industry is in bad shape. That reality hit a new peak in recent days as General Motors and Chrysler notified hundreds of dealers that their franchise contracts would not be renewed because of poor performance and the manufacturers inability to support their existing r...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Carmakers-Provide-Performance-Warning-341467/?kc=rss Fri, 15 May 2009 15:11:40 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/21-MustRead-Books-for-Business-Success-339828/?kc=rss - ...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/21-MustRead-Books-for-Business-Success-339828/?kc=rss Thu, 14 May 2009 20:09:09 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Strive-for-Superior-Service-307421/?kc=rss - Its all about service today: customer service, service contracts, service guarantees. If you believe your business has nowhere else to go to improve service, think again. In a market where your products are a commodity or are not tied to your brand, your service sets you apart. There are three ...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Strive-for-Superior-Service-307421/?kc=rss Thu, 14 May 2009 11:17:55 -0400 http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Staying-Competitive-in-a-Downturn-754379/?kc=rss - One of the biggest challenges that any solution provider is going to have to deal with in a down economy is the pressure on pricing. Its hard enough to find a customer who wants to buy any new product, and when they do you can bet that they will push back hard on pricing. Were already seeing thi...]]> http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Commentary/Staying-Competitive-in-a-Downturn-754379/?kc=rss