Cisco Canada channel chief Mike Ansley.

2012 was Mike Ansley’s first full year as Cisco Canada’s channel chief. And what a year it was. Between acquisitions, changes to the partner program critically focusing on midmarket- and SMB-focused solution providers, and new focus from headquarters, it was a busy year for Cisco.

Add to that, the company made some major waves in Canada with major hiring initiatives, strategic partnerships with government and education partners, and of course Cisco Canada president Nitin Kawale’s own mission to address Canada’s lagging productivity.

Ansley joins our New Year’s series of podcasts to discuss all that, as well as what Cisco partners can expect from the company in 2013.

Join us after the jump for the podcast, and all the details, or subscribe via iTunes.

Avaya Canada channel chief Renzo DiPasquale

2012 was a big year for Avaya in the Canadian market, highlighted by the release of a new version of IPOffice that scales up to 1,000-seat opportunities, and the company’s purchase of Radvision, giving it a new platform on the video side of the unified communications market. The company also introduced new channel leadership team members, made some changes to how it supports resellers, and provided some new resources to partners.

Avaya Canada channel chief Renzo DiPasquale joins the podcast to discuss the year that was 2012, as well as to talk about his top priorities and opportunities  for 2013, which include driving Radvision’s Scopia product line deeper throughout the channel community.

Join us after the jump for the podcast, and all the details, or subscribe via iTunes.

Avnet Technology Solutions’ Gavin Miller and Brian Aebig

It’s something of a New Year’s tradition around here: Getting together in podcast form with some of the site’s sponsors to reminisce about the year just ending, and talk about what’s to come for 2013.

2012 was a big year for Avnet, despite what the distributor admits were trying circumstances. It continued its SolutionsPath journey, introducing a formal cloud solutions group and heading in new directions as a result.

We kick off this year’s New Year’s Podcast Series by chatting with Gavin Miller, vice president of marketing for solutions and sales acceleration for Avnet Technology Solutions, and Brian Aebig, general manager of Avnet Canada.

What does the distributor see coming in 2013? How does it remember 2012?

Join us after the jump for the podcast, and all the details, or subscribe via iTunes.

It’s in the timeframe of the traditional distributor marketing symposium, but Snider and Johnson explain why it’s decidedly different from that event, and why Ingram Micro opted to forego a late-year marketing symposium this year, instead having a social evening as well as a charity drive for the Mississauga, Ont.-based Vita Centre that saw both Ingram associates and the vendor community come together to help make some Mississauga families’ Christmases a little brighter.

Join us after the jump for the podcast, and all the details, or subscribe via iTunes.

Joining me on this edition of the Podcast:

• Citrix Canada country manager Michael Murphy to discuss the results of the company’s global survey into attitudes and strategies around BYOD and mobile workstyles.
• Tim FitzGerald of Avnet Technology Solutions, who discusses the latest cloud training offerings from the distributor and gives us an update on the company’s growing cloud business.
• Dave Mason, vice president of sales at Ingram Micro Canada, who previews the Fall Invitational of the distributor’s VentureTech Network community, which happens next week in Boston.
• Gavin Garbutt, CEO of N-Able Technologies, who also provides us a preview, this time to the N-Able Global Partner Summit, which is happening next week in Montreal.

Catch the podcast after the jump, or subscribe via iTunes.

Joining me on this edition of the Podcast:

• Vinay Nair of Microsoft Canada and Andrew Stewart of Compugen, to discuss Windows Server 2012, and opportunities around it in the channel. Find out why Compugen’s Stewart calls the new server platform from Microsoft a game-changer.
• Hugh Nielsen of Epson Canada, to discuss the launch of the company’s ImageWay partner program in Canada. Find out why the printer vendor is looking to get closer to its channel partners.
• Bob Suhay from HP Networking, to discuss how BYOD is impacting network design and management. Find out what HP’s doing to help its partners capitalize on his megatrend.

Catch the podcast after the jump, or subscribe via iTunes.

Keith Goodwin, senior vice president of Cisco’s worldwide partner group

It’s a bit of an “end of the era” moment in the Cisco channel community, as Keith Goodwin, who’s headed up Cisco’s Worldwide Partner Organization for some seven years, is set to retire as the calendar flips over to August.

But before he goes, Goodwin was gracious enough to spend some time on the phone with me, reminiscing about his time on the job, from the early days of completing the transition from “volume to value” through to the current “return on Cisco” era and all points in between. Goodwin shares some of his favourite memories from his time on the job, as well as what he’d liked to have seen go down differently.

Join us after the jump for more on some of the highlights of Goodwin’s run as head of the WWPO, and his thoughts on what comes next for him personally and for the Cisco channel community.

Catch the podcast after the jump, or subscribe via iTunes.

Sean Forkan, country manager at Symantec Canada

The ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast returns Tuesday with four big interviews with some of the biggest names in the channel community.

Sean Forkan, the new country manager for Symantec Canada, joins us off the top to discuss his new job with the company, his old roles in the channel, and his plans for both Symantec and its partner bases. He may be new to the security vendor, but Forkan arrives with big ideas that will shape the near future for both Symantec Canada and its partners. Check out what he’s got in mind.

Sean Kosticin of HP Canada joins the podcast to discuss a variety of development in print at HP, including the new printers introduced at its recent launch event in Shanghai, and the channel implications of its new ePrint 2.0.

As Dimension Data closes in on its fifth anniversary in the Canadian market, Wendy Lucas and Darryl Wilson – the company’s Canadian leadership team – join us to discuss the Dimension Data experience in Canada, from its first meetings in a local Starbucks to its continued growth plan for the future.

And Jon Arnold, analyst and principal at J. Arnold and Associates, joins us to discuss what he saw and heard at Mitel’s recent Partner Conference in San Diego. Mitel’s been reaching out to the channel in a big way over the last year, and the company is back in trading on the TSX.

Catch the podcast after the jump, or subscribe via iTunes.

Mark Hennessy, general manager of global business partners and mid-market at IBM

In a long career at IBM, Mark Hennessy’s roles have included various general manager posts, and even the post of CIO for the company. But with 2012 came a new challenge, and Hennessy is now one of the few executives who can tout both CIO and global channel chief among his titles. Some five months into his new job, Hennessy joins the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast to discuss who his experience and the roles he’s played at IBM will colour his work as the company’s new channel chief.

Hennessy also shared with us his vision for the IBM partner community, his experience over the first 100 days on the job, and how new Big Blue technologies like PureSystems and analytics will prove to be game-changers both in the market and in the channel.

Along with Hennessy, we talk to:

• Ingram Micro Canada’s Mark Snider and Rita Baiana, live (via tape delay) from the VentureTech Network Spring Invitational in Colorado Springs about all things VTN and the latest happenings at the distributor;
• HP Canada’s technology services chief Brad Keates about the vendor’s new services model plays; and
• Avnet Technology Solutions’ Gavin Miller about the latest developments in the world of digital signage in the channel.

Catch the podcast after the jump, or subscribe via iTunes.

Microsoft channel chief Jon Roskill

We’re just over three months away from Microsoft descending on Toronto, Ontario for the first Worldwide Partner Conference in this country since 2004, and the company has been promising the biggest and best WPC of all time for this year.

On this week’s edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast, we catch up with Jon Roskill, corporate vice president of the worldwide partner group at Microsoft, on what we can expect at this year’s WPC in Toronto. Roskill addresses the choice of Toronto, how the company is injecting some Canadian culture into the event, and even shares an anecdote about keynotes at past WPCs. It’s a not-to-be-missed interview.

Also on the show:

• Avaya Canada channel chief Renzo DiPasquale discusses Avaya’s new cloud-based unified communications products, the company’s purchase of Radvision, and the channel leadership scene at Avaya now that Jeremy Butt has left the company.
• New Kaspersky Lab North American channel chief Chris Doggett drops by to chat about his new role with the security vendor, his goals and plans for his new job, and what to expect at the company’s Americas Partner Conference next month.
• Modest Mycyk, who’s heading up the expansion of online backup and data recovery vendor Datto in Canada talks about the company’s launch and value proposition for solution providers.

Catch the podcast after the jump, or subscribe via iTunes.

Five-peat: Tech Data Canada chief Rick Reid with the company's fifth consecutive distributor of the year award

The Reseller’s Choice Awards are now five years old, and Hewlett-Packard and Tech Data are once again big winners.

TechnoPlanet recently held its Reseller’s Choice Awards presentation for 2011, at The School Fine Dining in Unionville, Ont., and for the fifth time, Tech Data Canada took home best distributor of the year award. It also added best availability and delivery, best customer service, best product support, best industry event and best terms and conditions.

Meanwhile, HP Canada also proved dominant, taking home a whopping 19 Reseller’s Choice Awards.

In all, some 700 solution providers voted in the 2011 awards, said TechnoPlanet president Julian Lee.

I was on location, and caught interviews on podcast with three of the night’s big winners: HP Canada’s Heather Kent, Tech Data Canada president Rick Reid, and Dan Latendre, CEO of Igloo Software, which took home best new vendor. I also chat with Lee about the awards.

Check out the podcast, and a full list of winners, after the jump.

Here’s the full list of Reseller’s Choice Award Winners, courtesy TechnoPlanet:

• Best Accounting: Intuit
• Best Availability/Delivery: Tech Data
• Best Backup and Recovery: Symantec
• Best Black & White Laser Printer: Hewlett-Packard
• Best Business Desktop: Hewlett-Packard
• Best Business Notebook: Lenovo
• Best Business Projector: InFocus
• Best Business Router: Cisco
• Best CAD: Autodesk
• Best Channel Video News Media: CDN
• Best Cloud Application: VMWare
• Best Cloud Storage/Solution: EMC
• Best Colour Laser Printer: Hewlett-Packard
• Best Computer Case: Antec
• Best Computer Speakers: Bose
• Best Consumer Desktop: Hewlett-Packard
• Best Consumer Notebook: Hewlett-Packard
• Best CPU: Intel
• Best Customer Service: Tech Data
• Best Database: Microsoft
• Best Desktop Storage: Seagate
• Best Digital Signage: LG Electronics
• Best Distributor: Tech Data
• Best Enterprise Switch: Cisco
• Best Enterprise Telephony: Cisco
• Best Flash Drive: Kingston
• Best Gaming Desktop: Alienware
• Best Gaming Monitor: Asus
• Best GPS: Garmin
• Best Graphic Card: nVidia
• Best Graphic Design: Adobe
• Best Graphic Tablet: Wacom
• Best Green Vendor: Hewlett-Packard
• Best Handheld/Pad: Apple
• Best Hard Drive: Western Digital
• Best HD Video Camera: Sony
• Best Headset: Plantronics
• Best Home Theater Projector: Viewsonic/BenQ
• Best Home/Consumer Router: Cisco
• Best Industry Event: Tech Data
• Best Keyboard: Logitech
• Best Managed Services: GFI
• Best Memory: Kingston
• Best Messaging/Collaboration: Microsoft
• Best Motherboard: Asus
• Best Mouse: Logitech
• Best Multi-Function Ink-Jet Printer: Hewlett-Packard
• Best Multi-Function Laser Printer: Hewlett-Packard
• Best NAS: Hewlett-Packard
• Best Netbook: Lenovo
• Best Network Adapter: Intel
• Best New Vendor: IGLOO Software
• Best Notebook Carrying Case: Targus
• Best Online Channel News Media: E-Channelnews
• Best Operating System: Microsoft
• Best Personal Laser Printer: Hewlett-Packard
• Best Point-and Shoot Digital Camera: Canon
• Best Portable Printer: Hewlett-Packard
• Best Portable Projector: InFocus
• Best Portable Speakers: Bose
• Best Portable Storage: Western Digital
• Best Portable Video Camera: Sony
• Best Power Supply: Antec
• Best Print Channel News Media: CDN
• Best Pro Video Camera: Canon
• Best Product Support: Tech Data
• Best Productivity Software: Microsoft
• Best Professional Display: LG
• Best Profitability: Hewlett-Packard
• Best Publishing: Adobe
• Best SAN: Hewlett-Packard
• Best Scanner: HP/Fujitsu
• Best Security: Symantec
• Best Server: Hewlett-Packard
• Best SLR Digital Camera: Canon
• Best SMB Network Switch: Hewlett-Packard
• Best SMB Telephony: Cisco
• Best SOHO Network Switch: Cisco
• Best SOHO Telephony: Cisco
• Best Specialty Distributor: Bluestar
• Best SSD: Intel
• Best Tablet PC: Apple
• Best Terms/Conditions: Tech Data
• Best UPS Battery Backup: APC
• Best Utility: VMWare
• Best Value Monitor: LG
• Best Vendor: Hewlett-Packard
• Best Vendor Channel Program: Hewlett-Packard
• Best Vendor Support: Hewlett-Packard
• Best Virtualization Software: VMWare
• Best Webcam: Logitech
• Best Workstation: Hewlett-Packard

Congratulations to all the winners!

Avnet's Phil Gallagher (left) and Brian Aebig (right)

Avnet Technology Solutions had a big year in 2011, refining the services strategy at the core of its value-added distribution model, while the Canadian organization in particular was feted for its continues growth trajectory in this country.

Amidst that backdrop, ATS global president and Phil Gallagher and Canadian chief Brian Aebig join ChannelBuzz.ca for the final installment of our New Year’s Podcast Series, discussing the momentus year that was 2011, and what the distributor sees in store for 2012.

Catch the podcast after the jump, or subscribe via iTunes.

Cisco Canada president Nitin Kawale

In 2011, Cisco Systems shed business units, looking to solidify around its core in the networking and communications areas amid tepid results and a sense that the networking giant had become overly complex.

But at the same time, the company enjoyed explosive growth in Canada, growth which earned the Canadian operations solid praise from CEO John Chambers in the company’s most recently quarterly earnings announcement.

Cisco Canada president Nitin Kawale joins us for the third installment of our New Year’s Podcast Series, discussing the year that was 2011, plans for 2012, and his personal drive to bring greater acceptance of communications and collaboration technologies to the Canadian business world.

Catch the podcast after the jump, or subscribe via iTunes.

HP Canada PSG channel and SMB chief John Cammalleri

Let’s put this in the most diplomatic terms possible: 2011 was an interesting year for HP.

If business growth were the only measurement, it would have been considered a good year. Maybe even a great one. But there was a whole lot else going on at HP last year. The company started the year with a new CEO, Léo Apotheker, and what appeared to be a new vision. And then came a summer of confusion for HP partners, as the company signaled it intended to sell off its Personal Systems Group, the world’s largest PC business.

Fortunately, new new CEO Meg Whitman put the brakes on that poorly-communicated idea, and decided to keep PSG in the fold, only for the year to end with questions facing PC makers around the world as a result of the horrific flooding in Thailand later in the year.

Amidst all this turmoil, HP Canada’s John Cammalleri had a slight shift in role, from the company’s de facto channel chief to the head of channels and SMB business for its Personal Systems Group. And it’s in that new capacity that John joins us for the second edition of the New Year’s Podcast Series, taking a look at the roller coaster that was 2011 as well as what HP expects from the new year.

Catch the podcast after the jump, or subscribe via iTunes.

Tech Data Canada president Rick Reid

Happy New Year, and welcome to 2012!

We’re kicking off the new year here at ChannelBuzz.ca with the New Year’s Podcast Series, a series of in-depth interviews with some of the biggest figures in the Canadian channel community (who also happen to be representative of our inaugural 2011 sponsors.)

Rather than the usual podcast format, which brings you four or five interviews of between five and ten minutes apiece, in this series we’re going deep with a single subject, talking about the year that was 2011 in hindsight, expectations and plans for the new year.

We kick off the series in style, chatting with Tech Data Canada president Rick Reid.

Catch the podcast after the jump, or subscribe via iTunes.

Softchoice CEO David MacDonald

In one of the biggest mergers in the Canadian channel in recent history, Softchoice recently announced its intention to purchase Unis Lumin in a bid to add to its services offering.

Now, on the eve of the deal closing, Softchoice president and CEO Dave MacDonald joins the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast to discuss the merger. On the agenda: Why Unis Lumin, how Softchoice intends to take advantage of its new acquisition’s momentum in managed services, how the deal came together, and much more.

In addition to the interview with MacDonald, the podcast features:

• Lenovo mature market chief Milko van Duijl on the PC vendor’s approach to consumerization of IT and the BYOD trend;
• Tech Data Canada marketing veep Greg Myers on the distributor’s newest vendor partnership with ATTO Technology;
• Bob Godgart and Jay McBain on their upcoming channel social media site, ChannelEyes; and
• Microsoft Canada’s Chris Tortorice on the company’s recently Fair Play Day and the software titan’s anti-piracy strategy in general.

Catch the podcast after the jump, or subscribe via iTunes.

Leyland Brown, head of HP Canada’s Personal Systems Group division, leads off the show to discuss some of the challenges that SMB customers are facing with the cloud, and what HP partners can do to help them overcome those obstacles.

Andrew Sage, who heads up the new “Partner Led” strategy for Cisco Systems, stops by to chat about the strategy, why it’s different for Cisco partners, and even what former Cisco Canada channel chief Donna Wittmann is up to in Sage’s new organization.

In addition to Brown and Sage, here’s what on tap:

• Tech Data Canada’s Ed Galasso and Access Computer Solutions’ Mark Sutor join us live from the TechSelect fall 2011 gathering in Orlando to discuss the Canadian reseller group’s Tech Talks series.
• Avaya Canada president Ross Pellizzari and channel chief Renzo Dipasquale drop by from their Evolutions event in Toronto to chat about the evolution of Avaya and what they’re doing for partners.
• And rounding out the show, Titus CEO Tim Upton talks about the company’s first-ever partner conference and top opportunities in the messaging security field.

Catch the podcast after the jump, or subscribe via iTunes.

Regular Podcast contributor Michelle Warren of MW Research was on hand for last week’s VMworld conference in Las Vegas, and joins the show to discuss the event and the mood of the virtualization giant’s channel partners. Plus, we discuss two of the hottest topics in the tech industry today – the potential fate of HP’s Personal Systems Group, and life after Steve Jobs for Apple.

Also on this edition of the podcast:

• Ian Gallagher, director of collaboration engineering for Cisco Canada discusses the networking vendor’s twin TelePresence setups at tennis events in Toronto and Montreal, and how solution providers can craft the same kind of temporary hook-ups.
• Greg Tobin of D&H Canada shares his thoughts as the distributor enters its fifth year in Canada and enters a new line of business.
• David Poelhuber of Zerospam shares the details around Canada’s new anti-spam regulations and what they’ll mean to the channel community.
• Andy Ingram of Juniper Networks on the company’s data centre strategy and why the data centre is the hotbed for networking competition and innovation.

Catch the podcast after the jump, or subscribe via iTunes.

Gales discusses what having WPC in Toronto means to Microsoft Canada and to the Canadian partner community, and discusses some of the headlines and themes of WPC 2011 in Los Angeles as well.

Also on the agenda:

• A look inside Tech Data Canada’s new Advanced Technology Solutions Centre with Richard Toledo;
• Avnet Technology Solutions’ plans around the FlexPod data centre initiative from NetApp, Cisco and VMware;
• McAfee Canada channel chief Ned D’Antonio on the security vendor’s new SMB partner program;
• HTG Peer Groups’ Arlin Sorensen on the community’s new Hands That Give program; and
• Michelle Warren of MW Research on tablets, the year of the hack and layoffs in the tech industry.

Catch the podcast after the jump, or subscribe via iTunes.

Cisco Canada's Todd Madgett

The ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast is back for its third edition, looking at some of the biggest stories in the Canadian IT channel over the last few weeks.

Joining us off the top is Cisco Canada’s SMB chief Tod Madgett to discuss a new program from the networking giant, Partner Advisor, that allows small business-focused solution providers to get access to some of the onboarding and enablement tools usually available to only its managed partner base.

In addition, we take a look at the following:

• Dave Miketinac, Dell Canada’s new SMB chief, talks about his new role and the changes made to PartnerDirect;
• No Panic Computing’s Larry Keating and Tom Ward discuss notebooks-as-a-service on the heels of Google’s introduction of the Chromebook;
• Patti Smith, national channel manager at Panda Security Canada, addresses the company’s new MSP partner program; and
• Michelle Warren of MW Research joins us to round up a number of technology stories, including Microsoft and Skype, Cisco’s pending reorganization, and the declining PC market.

Catch the podcast after the jump, or subscribe via iTunes.

And one of those partners isn’t your father’s Cisco channel partner.

In addition to this unique combination, we take a look at the following stories:

• The PlayBook may have been summarily executed in the press, but OnX Enterprise Solutions holds high hopes for RIM’s new tablet. Enza Alexander and Michael Cardy explain why;
• D&H Canada general manager Greg Tobin talks Earth Day as the distributor continues to ramp up its green-friendly linecard;
• EMC Canada director of channels Michael Kerr explains some of the profitability changes the storage vendor is making to its Velocity Partner Program;
• Bill Griffin, new vice president of worldwide channel sales at Autodesk details some of the changes the design software company is making to its channel program;
• Juniper’s Blaine Raddon, vice president of Americas channel sales recaps the networking vendor’s recent Partner Conference; and
• Lenovo Canada director of channel sales Stefan Bockhop detail’s the company’s new Cloud Ready Client products.

Catch the podcast after the jump, or subscribe via iTunes.

HP Canada channel chief John Cammalleri helps us tee up APC

HP Americas Partner Conference 2011 event kicks off Monday at the Aria Resort in Las Vegas, and ChannelBuzz.ca’s first-ever podcast helps solution providers get ready for the event.

First, we chat with HP Canada channel chief John Cammalleri about what solution providers can expect from the event. Then, we catch up with Michelle Warren of MW Research about some of the big strategic announcements coming out of HP’s recent Summit event in San Francisco.

In addition to teeing up APC, we talk to some other channel thought leaders:

• Avnet Technology Solutions’ Dan Allaby talks about the cloud opportunity and how the distributor’s CloudReady program helps VARs get there;
• Amazon Consulting’s Beth Vanni discusses the findings of the company’s annual State of Partnering study and how vendors are engaging their channels; and
• Pat Hume of GFI Software discusses the company’s plans for the Canadian market and where she sees opportunities for more solution providers.

Catch the podcast after the jump.