Recent Articles
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Knowing When to Fire a Partner
Sometimes it makes sense to fire partners. Just as it is pointless for channel partners to represent vendors that don’t do right by them, it is equally senseless for vendors to buoy unprofitable partners. But, of course, it takes discipline and a whole lot of self-examination for a vendor to make the difficult decision of…
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Will Intel Get Its Groove Back with ‘Woodcrest’?
Server makers are lining up a host of new and enhanced systems armed with Intel’s new “Woodcrest” Xeon processor, a chip built on a new architecture that promises better performance coupled with greater energy efficiency. Intel initially said the Xeon 5100 family—based on Intel’s new Core microarchitecture—would be released in the third quarter. However, earlier…
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Guess CIO Buries Weak Search Engine
Even CIOs at billion-dollar retailers have to put their jeans on one upgrade at a time. But Guess CIO Michael Relich found himself in an especially difficult position when Web analytics told him that 60 percent of his e-commerce site’s search results were delivering “not found” responses to prospects. Guess’ site search was a legacy…
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Bandwidth.com Enlists Channel Partners in VOIP Push
As voice over IP technology goes mainstream, replacing analog voice communications, the CEO of Bandwidth.com sees a role for VARs and integrators in getting the technology into small and midsize accounts. That is why Bandwidth.com, a 7-year-old provider of VOIP services based in Cary, N.C., is planning to step up its channel recruiting efforts for…
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HP to VARs: Quit Selling Printers and Start Selling Printing
Hewlett-Packard, the world’s leading printer manufacturer, wants to leave the printer business. The vendor that dominates the market, with a 45 percent share, wants to move itself and its VARs from selling printers to selling printing—pay-per-click, managed print services and document management solutions—that captures more customer wallet and speaks to the ways businesses use printing,…
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Novell Changes Leadership, Sticks to Linux Course
Novell announced June 22 that its board of directors has fired CEO Jack Messman and Chief Financial Officer Joseph Tibbetts Jr. In Messman’s place, the board appointed Ronald Hovsepian, who had been president and chief operating officer since October 2005. Messman, who had presided over Novell since 2001 when Novell acquired his Cambridge Technology Partners…
