Michael Vizard

One of the things that came out at the end of the annual Symantec partner conference last week was an initiative under which the security and storage software vendor plans to hook up solution providers that have complementary skills sets.   The basic idea is that Symantec will give solution providers that identify deals a […]

Symantec has a problem, and it’s not the fact that channel chief Julie Parrish resigned to join NetApp a few days before the company’s channel event in Washington, D.C. Fortunately, the issues challenging Symantec are about the same that any major technology company experiences after going on a series of acquisition binges.   Right now, […]

In the battle between Microsoft and Google for supremacy over the next generation of computing, Microsoft does not appear to be making much use of its traditional channel allies.   Just about everything that Microsoft does and says about cloud computing comes across as fairly reactionary. Essentially, Microsoft has let Google set the tone for […]

When does a certification double as a symbol of expertise in a major technology area and knowing how to do business with a particular major vendor? When the certification is a New Enterprise Data Center specialty certification from IBM. Big Blue is moving toward a new mindset around selling solutions by creating a program that […]

When it comes to anything related to information technology, it’s always the little things that ultimately kill you. And nothing can kill a managed service business faster than all the costs associated with tracking down some intermittent performance issue that cannot be easily replicated. Anybody running a managed service, or for that matter anybody in […]

It’s truly an ill wind that doesn’t blow somebody some good. That seems to be the case with managed security services. As the overall economic environment continues to deteriorate, IT organizations appear to be becoming more amenable to buying managed security services as opposed to trying to find and hire their own dedicated security professionals. […]

Now that Hewlett-Packard is moving to cut over 24,000 jobs in the wake of its merger with Electronic Data Systems, there is a lot of speculation about what all this ultimately means for the IT services industry. The more negative-minded folks typically see this as a move to reduce HP’s cost structure around EDS by […]

  After acquiring 47 different companies that helped create a portfolio of more than 9,000 products, Oracle is turning to the channel more aggressively than ever to help drive sales in its new fiscal year. But the question that remains unresolved is just what the Oracle channel may ultimately look like once it goes through […]

One of the maxims of Napoleon is to never interrupt your enemy when they are making a mistake. In recent months there has been a lot of consternation in the channel over vendors eliminating margins in the storage archival space, while other vendors have been taken to task for trying to cut partners out of […]

Server designs are going through a radical transformation that should have some far-reaching impact throughout the channel. Two of the best examples of this transformation come in the form of new server designs from Hewlett-Packard and Critical Links. HP this week has rolled out a new Adaptive Infrastructure in a Box for Midsize Business offering […]

When you think about the number of small business customers that still rely on electronic cash registers, you can see the outstanding opportunity for the channel. Of course, one of the reasons that there are so many companies still using electronic cash registers is the price of PC-based point-of-sale systems. Fully configured, the average PC-based […]

Until recently there were basically two decisions that solution providers needed to make when it came to running Windows applications–run them locally on each machine or on a server that was accessed using terminal services software from either Citrix or Microsoft. Today, the nuances around running Windows applications on the client are multiplying dramatically thanks […]