Jessica Davis

Cisco Systems is looking to more closely align its channel program with that of its acquisition, Linksys, four years after the two companies joined forces. The move, discussed at the Cisco Partner Summit in April, is designed to help both channel organizations take advantage of each other’s strengths, said Wendy Bahr, vice president of U.S. […]

Spyware and security vendor Webroot Software plans to make it easier for system builders to include its software. The Boulder, Colo., company announced April 17 its Webroot System Builder Program that will allow system builders to buy licenses in bulk from distributor Ingram Micro for desktop and notebook systems rather than one-by-one. Let Your Voice […]

Security and storage vendor Symantec will deliver a selection of its portfolio as software as a service in an effort to reach more small and midsize businesses, and the channel will take the lead, said the company and its partners. Channel partners will be able to resell the SAAS offering—called Symantec Protection Network—and add additional […]

The Linux Professional Institute has announced that a handful of individuals have received its LPIC-3 Core certification, the highest level of certification the organization currently offers. And it’s a certification that IT organizations are demanding, according to LPI President and CEO Jim Lacey, as work force development continues to rise on the list of concerns […]

Storage vendor Adaptec is upgrading its Snap Server channel partner program in North America to include deal registration, customized marketing tools and lead-sharing, the company has announced. The Milpitas, Calif., company launched the program on April 12, following what the storage vendor said was a complete refresh of the entire Snap Server product line, from […]

IT solutions distributor Tech Data Corp. has announced several additions to its year-old TD Solutions Center, broadening the facility’s offerings for government and education resellers. The company, based in Clearwater, Fla., made the announcement during its TechEDG Government Services conference this week in Orlando, Fla. “The TDSolutions Center has been so successful with our commercial […]

VARs, system integrators and other types of channel partners these days are relying more and more on a less commonly discussed source for new business leads and problem-solving information—each other. The trend, which has been building for several years, according to IDC analysts, has accelerated during the last year or two, most recently with the […]

OnForce, the eBay-like online marketplace for buying and selling IT services, has named its first chief technology officer in preparation for scaling its infrastructure. The New York-based company recruited Venkat Gaddipati as senior vice president and CTO—a new position in which he will be responsible for leading technical strategy and implementation at OnForce. The announcement […]

Chip maker LSI Logic has introduced a new controller and board designed to work with both Serial Attached SCSI and Serial ATA storage infrastructures, opening the door for VARs to experiment with SAS systems or easily migrate to such systems. LSI said that its internal-connect MegaRAID SAS controllers eliminate the need to design SATA-only infrastructures. […]

Security and control vendor Sophos is converting to a 100 percent channel sales strategy for North America, the company announced April 9. The new Sophos Partner Program offers three levels – Platinum, Gold and Silver with tiered benefits – plus lead distribution to qualified partners, online deal registration and dedicated pre-sale and post-sale support. Sophos […]

Managed services platform provider Silverback Technologies is extending its service beyond servers and network perimeter devices, this time to encompass desktop computers too. It’s a service that MSP customers have been demanding from their providers, and one that Silverback has dabbled in as a result. But now the company, based in Billerica, Mass., has bundled […]

LAS VEGAS—Cisco Systems is setting out to help channel partners with what they say is the No. 1 inhibitor to growth—talent recruitment, retention and training. That’s according to Keith Goodwin, Cisco’s channel chief, who said the San Jose, Calif.-based networking giant is in the early stages of building an initiative to help partners “plan for […]