Scott Ferguson

When Kent Kushar looks for a solution provider, there are a dozen different points he will consider before making a decision. However, there is one piece of advice Kushar, vice president and CIO at the Ernest and Gallo Winery in Modesto, Calif., gives for those looking to make business deals with his company. “You have […]

When Daniel Burrus thinks about the future, he does not contemplate current problems and conventional solutions. Instead, Burrus looks for problems that have not arrived and tries to solve those dilemmas with technology and innovations that may only be in their infancy. Thinking about unconventional problems and solutions, Burrus said at the CompTIA Breakaway Conference […]

Gateway will begin offering its VARs access to the same training portal that its in-house sales staff currently uses as a better way for its partners to sell hardware to users and push more product through the channel. The portal, called Symphony, can be accessed through Gateway’s Web site and will become available to VARs […]

Jamcracker, an on-demand service provider, is touting the latest release of its Jamcracker Service Delivery Network as a platform for VARs and ISVs to build on-demand applications out of nearly anything. JSDN 2.0, which the Santa Clara, Calif., company said is available as of July 31, will allow resellers to choose from 200 different on-demand […]

Avnet Partner Solutions this week inked a deal with Citrix Systems Inc. to bundle the software company’s enterprise solutions with IBM Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. hardware. The partnership will give VARs and integrators that do business with the Tempe, Ariz.-based distributor a greater chance to expand their enterprise solutions portfolios, said company executives. “It’s a […]

Nortel, the Canada-based telecom equipment supplier, is gearing up to push more of its products through the channel, increase its revenue through these sales and strengthen its relationship with its VARs. The new commitment to the channel comes after the Toronto company inked a new deal with Microsoft to develop telephone systems that will operate […]

Xandros, hoping to capture what it calls “50 million disenfranchised Windows” users, is offering a 50 percent rebate on its Desktop Home and Home Edition Premium editions of its Linux operating system. The regular Home edition sells for $39.99, and the premium edition sells for $79.99. If users upgrade their operating system from Windows 98, […]

Apple Computer is introducing a new wireless mouse for the Mac. On July 25, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company announced it would start selling the Mighty Mouse, a new version of its mouse that uses Bluetooth 2.0 wireless technology. Apple has been using Bluetooth technology in its Macs for several years. The new mouse also fits […]

Distributor Synnex is partnering with MaintenanceNet, an online management company, to help manage and track service contracts with one of its largest product lines—Hewlett-Packard. The partnership allows Synnex, based in Fremont, Calif., a way to increase revenue for itself and its VARs through service contracts on HP hardware, as well as a way to provide […]

Ricoh is on the move, pushing aggressively to get its product through the channel, and is looking to Computer Market Research to provide the initiative. To that end, the two are partnering, with CMR slated to provide Ricoh with point-of-sale and inventory reporting solutions. Ricoh, a major vendor of digital office equipment based in West […]

Apple’s big bet on Intel chips is paying off big time. That appears to be the consensus of analysts following Apple Computer’s fiscal third-quarter earnings, July 19. The Cupertino, Calif., company announced its second best quarterly results ever, with net income of $472 million and earnings of 54 cents a share. Those numbers were well […]

Distributor Tech Data has begun offering its Apple solution providers a new program to help more profitably develop, sell and support Apple-based products for businesses. The program, AppleAdvantage SBU (Specialized Business Unit), officially started in June and can be used as a resource for Apple VARs that need technical assistance, sales support or product management […]