Scott Ferguson

There seems to be no end to Sony’s battery woes. A day after Lenovo Group’s Sept. 28 notebook battery pack recall announcement—it will recall more than 500,000 Sony-cell-based battery packs used in its ThinkPad notebooks—Dell and Toshiba each said on Sept. 29 that they will also recall Sony-made batteries. On Sept. 29, Toshiba announced that […]

What can VARs, system integrators and other members of the reseller community expect as 2006 turns to 2007? At the IT Channel Vision Conference, Gartner, the Stanford, Conn., research firm, hopes to spend several days discussing and dissecting trends in the channel, from new opportunities in selling business intelligence technology to what small and midsized […]

Demand for notebooks, desktops and networking equipment helped fuel growth in IT distribution shipments during the third quarter of 2006, and one economist feels that growth will continue if interest rates and fuel prices remain steady, according to a new report. IT distribution grew to 6.4 percent in this year’s third quarter, according to Raymond […]

Tech Data has launched a new unit that the distributor says will help its VARs develop new systems market solutions for small and midsize businesses. The new unit, called Client Computing, will fall under Tech Data’s Systems Division. The new unit will combine new and existing resources from the company, a Tech Data spokesperson said. […]

Apple has released the latest of its Aperture imaging software. The Cupertino, Calif., computer maker announced Aperture 1.5 at the 2006 Photokina trade show in Cologne, Germany, on Sept. 25. Aperture, which competes with Adobe System’s Lightroom software, will now offer photographers an open library system that allows images to be stored either in the […]

For Synnex, a surprisingly good third quarter was driven by stability in the North American market and the company’s gains in the channel market, according to an industry analyst. However, a Raymond James and Associates report, cautioned that the Freemont, Calif., distributor’s growth will not match the expectations in the fourth quarter. On Sept. 21, […]

Security solutions vendor Apere is attempting to incorporate a proof-of-concept demonstration into a new channel program meant to entice VARs and system integrators. The San Jose, Calif., company announced its new partner program on Sept. 18. It is offering users a proof-of-concept demo of its turnkey appliance, called IMAG (Identity Managed Access Gateway), which integrates […]

Ingram Micro, the world’s largest IT products distributor, has teamed with MaintenanceNet to offer its VARs a Web portal specifically designed for Cisco products. The new portal, called Cisco Services Quick Quote Tool, will help Ingram’s VARs with the ordering and pricing of Cisco products. The portal consolidates a number of applications, such as ordering […]

Avnet Technology Solutions will start offering Data Systems International’s solution for automated data capture, which helps leverage barcode and RFID technology for customers. As part of the new solution, Avnet will now offer its partners access to DSI’s dcLink software, standard x86 servers, wireless data capture hardware and supporting infrastructure. The solution is geared toward […]

Avnet Technology Solutions is launching Ignition Online, a Web-based training portal for its IBM solution providers. The portal’s goal is to provide solution providers with training and updates on new IBM products. The new portal will also help deliver certification training and provide product information and news about the channel. “The portal delivers a structured […]

Distributor Tech Data announced Aug. 29 that it will begin distributing XenSource’s XenEnterprise server virtualization platform, marketing it to VARs interested in jumping on the consolidation trend. The distributor’s entry into the virtualization market could be a boost to the technology, especially in the SMB (small and midsize business) area, where Tech Data has traction […]

SAS Institute, a longtime independent software maker of business intelligence and data management solutions, is venturing into the channel for the first time, with a full program designed to attract VARs to its products. The Cary, N.C., company announced Aug. 28 that it had recruited about 25 VARs, system integrators and independent software vendors as […]