News and Trends

Recent Articles

  • Avnet, Lakeview Give SMBs Some Backup

    Avnet Partner Solutions, the value-added arm of IT distributor Avnet, unveiled a data and disaster recovery solution for IBM shops from Lakeview Technology, a data management software maker. APS resellers will be able to offer IBM customers Lakeview’s MIMX line of “information availability” software for a range of platforms, including i5/OS, Windows, UNIX and Linux,…

  • Own More of the Solution Than You Can Afford

    As the managed services world is still defining itself, Green Beacon Solutions is redefining its corner of it. Green Beacon, a 4-year-old CRM (customer relationship management) solution provider, is rolling out an offering—PAMS (Professional Application Management Services)—that is neither a solution delivery nor MSP (managed services provider) contract. Part consultation, part monitoring, part implementation, PAMS,…

  • Process Improvement v. Outsourcing

    Process improvement caused a fair amount of excitement a few years ago in the business management community. Thanks primarily to efforts by such corporate giants as General Electric, process improvement methodologies such as TQM (Total Quality Management) and later Six Sigma became standard approaches to assessing existing processes for improvement opportunities and as a basis…

  • Company Urges VARs to Push Maintenance

    Unrelenting margin pressure on IT product sales should make channel companies more diligent in providing maintenance services, but that often is not the case, according to IT services management company MaintenanceNet. The number of companies capitalizing on maintenance contract opportunities is far lower than it should be, the company said in a report released this…

  • Ingram’s OfficePac to Give VARs Easy Services Option

    IT Distributor Ingram Micro made available Monday its OfficePac service offering, a package of service suites that its VARs may resell or tag onto hardware and software sales. Aimed at VARs in the SMB (small and midsize business) space, OfficePac taps the IMSN (Ingram Micro Services Network) to deliver warranty extensions, upgrades and out-of-warranty services…