Recent Articles
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New Opportunities for an Old Model
Many years ago, when oil was cheaper than water and the only generation with a name was the “baby boomers,” the channel was dominated by “VARs.” Like age groups and energy policy, the channel was simpler then. These VARs focused on a variety of markets, but in essentially the same way. They signed volume purchase agreements with…
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MSP Sales Getting Easier
Sales cycles involving new customers for managed services providers have shortened to two to four months from as much as 12, according to a recent study by the MSP Alliance. The Managed Services State of Market study, which had 142 participants, also found most MSPs are at least breaking even and that 40 percent of…
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IBM Reveals Security-as-a-Service Offerings
IBM is pushing further into the on-demand delivery arena by launching its first set of security-as-a-service offerings since its acquisition of Internet Security Systems in August 2006. Serving primarily the small and midsize business sector, the new services will be sold through the IBM ISS channels and will enable midsize companies to combat the growing…
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Ingram Micro Surprised by Q1 Softness
Ingram Micro, reporting earnings April 24, attributed its revenue softness to broad macroeconomic factors in some geographic areas, including North America and Europe. Ingram Micro CEO Greg Spierkel told Channel Insider that the rising consumer prices and the real estate crisis in the United States are weighing on the market. "There’s the rise in the…
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Proscape CRM System Helps Pharma Reps Close Sales Loop
Microsoft partner Proscape has developed a customer relationship management system that it says makes pharmaceutical sales representatives work more efficiently. Proscape Technologies co-founder and President Derek Pollack said the closed-loop marketing system takes into account the potential physician customer’s profile before the sales call happens and also gathers, analyzes and delivers data during and after…
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Microsoft Partner`s Tool Tracks Hospital-Acquired Infections
Microsoft partner Accent on Integration has rolled out a patient safety screening tool at Vanderbilt University Medical Center that can improve early detection of hospital-acquired infections, with the potential to save thousands of lives. Sepsis is the body’s systemic response to infection, which in severe cases can cause organ failure and death. It’s estimated that 750,000…