Jessica Davis

Small and mid-size businesses have grown more tech savvy with more employees telecommuting and using mobile technology—a trend that spells greater opportunity for VARs to sell those kinds of solutions. That’s according to a new survey commissioned by CompTIA and conducted by AMI-Partners. The research shows that as SMB work forces have become more mobile, […]

Recognizing the importance of the channel in installing complex solutions such as unified communications, Cisco is giving its partners another tool to help sell it, increase the size of potential deals and reduce the burden of fronting the solution cost during the installation. The improvements come from Cisco Capital’s extension and expansion of its zero […]

Appliance-based security vendor Mi5 is rolling out a two-tier channel program for its 100 percent channel-based sales. The three-year old company began shipping products just a year ago to capture the market for customers looking for both URL filtering and Web malware protection, according to Doug Camplejohn, CEO of the company which is based in […]

Looking to help its MSPs build their businesses, Do IT Smarter, a reseller of outsourced managed services for small-business VARs, is now offering its partners a marketing program that costs as little as $29.95 a month. The San Diego-based company, once a managed services provider itself, said VARs transitioning into being MSPs often find it […]

Nimsoft, a self-described service level management platform provider, is painting itself as the white knight for managed service providers distressed by Dell’s acquisition of platform provider SilverBack Technologies. The company, based in Redwood City, Calif., is offering to save SilverBack MSPs by offering them the same level of managed services at the same price they […]

SilverBack Technologies’ partner Do IT Smarter is keeping an eye on what happens with Dell’s planned purchase of SilverBack, but for now everything is status quo. That’s the word from Do IT Smarter President Lane Smith, who told The Channel Insider today he had heard rumblings of a possible SilverBack sale, but found out about […]

Looking to beef up the goodies it offers channel partners as part of a year-long effort to become a 100 percent channel sales organization, Websense has announced a new online learning environment, a channel contest and roadshow training. The security technology company announced the programs last week during its first channel partner event since 2001. […]

On-demand data protection services provider Arsenal Digital Solutions plans to launch a full-fledged solution provider channel program the week of July 23, following the upgrade July 16 of its online server backup and recovery service to support virtualization. The three-tiered program is aimed at infiltrating the midsize business market—companies with 100 to 2,500 users, said […]

Dell plans to acquire SilverBack Technologies, one of a handful of leading managed service platform companies offering IT monitoring and management services through resellers, the company announced today. The move comes two months after the Round Rock, Texas-based PC maker, which built its business on direct sales of PCs to customers, announced that it would […]

Cisco will again allow individuals within various solution provider organizations to share “roles,” allowing a single person to serve in two roles in the “sales engineer,” “field engineer” tracks or to serve in four roles in the “account manager track.” The change is a roll-back of an unpopular change for a minority of VARs made […]

Tech Data has delivered on its promise to offer an online tool to help VARs take advantage of sales that are as ripe as low-hanging fruit —renewal opportunities for manufacturer-branded service agreements and warranties. The distributor, based in Clearwater, Fla., first announced plans for the free online tool during its partner conference in May. MyOpportunityTracker […]

Looking to expand its payment solutions to SMBs, financial software-as-a-service vendor IP Commerce has created new desktop software and a new partner program, specifically targeting Microsoft VARs. The Denver-based company already counts the likes of PayPal and Chase Bank among its customers. Through some of its new services, and through its new channel partner program, […]