Jessica Davis

Microsoft, according to published reports, has added e-mail, Sharepoint and desktop management to its 2-year-old managed services line that it offers directly to enterprise customers. But independent MSPs (managed services providers) and other partners are taking a measured approach to the news. The Microsoft business has a scant four customers, with three of those announced […]

Catering to its Apple-centric resellers and end users, Tech Data announced it will serve as the first distributor for GizMac Accessories’ XRackPro line of rack-mount enclosure cabinets for Apple Xserve servers and RAID storage devices. Tech Data said the solutions are designed to reduce noise by as much as 80 percent compared with standard server […]

OnForce, the eBay-like marketplace for IT services and individual providers, launched another new component to its marketplace platform on June 7. Called PowerMatch, the component is designed to help refine the search for service providers. Customers can select several categories that fit the work they need done and the system then offers a ranked list […]

IT products distributor Tech Data Corp. said it plans to expand its Physical Security Specialized Business Unit product portfolio to include Milestone Systems technology. The Clearwater, Fla.-based distributor said it will now offer Milestone’s IP video management software, part of the XPprotect line of video capture, management and storage software solutions for small-to-midsized businesses (SMBs) […]

Kaseya unveiled an upgrade to its managed services platform that includes advances in back-up, disaster recovery and remote control and the addition of an endpoint security module. The new end point security module comes to the Kaseya platform through an OEM agreement with security company Grisoft AVG 7.5 for its anti-malware product line. The Kaseya […]

SOA Software is looking to expand its channel program by embracing professional service organizations. The Los Angeles-based vendor of service-oriented architecture and Web services said the new program is designed for companies that provide consulting, training, support and development assistance to large enterprises deploying SOA solutions. Several have already joined the program, including Azora of […]

Linux-based networking software vendor Vyatta has introduced a new partner program that the company says will deliver double-digit margins for partners and offer them an alternative to products from Cisco Systems and others. Called the Vyatta Ready partner program, the San Mateo, Calif., company said the program will target x86 VARs and independent hardware and […]

IBM has eliminated approximately 1,500 jobs in North American in its technology services unit, a spokesman has confirmed. The cuts mark the second this month in the services arm of the company. The first set, totaling 1,450, were to IBM Global Services mostly in North America, said Ed Barbini, an IBM spokesman. Big Blue’s CTO […]

More than 85 percent of organizations in a recent study reported they had experienced a data-breach event—a statistic that represents great pain for businesses that are victims of such breaches, many of which could have been avoided. But the study also points to the tremendous opportunity for VARs to act as security experts in a […]

The chatter has been rampant: Will CDW’s pending acquisition by a private equity firm put an end to the company’s recent very aggressive pricing? Analysts have answered with a resounding no. “Some VARs have been speculating that this could take the price pressure off,” said Christina Richmond, research manager for hardware channels and alliances at […]

CDW’s Chairman and CEO John Edwardson described a meeting of the minds between his company’s management and the private investment firm that has agreed to acquire it in a deal struck May 29 worth $7.3 billion. Edwardson said that CDW’s management and private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners had a consensus over CDW’s long-term goals […]

CDW’s current long-term goals—an expansion of its service and solutions business akin to Berbee, an expansion of the company’s overall sales team, and improving the customer value proposition by adding more knowledgeable account managers—will stay the same following the company’s acquisition by a private investment firm, according to Executive Vice President Harry Harczak. Harczak spoke […]