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Ingram expands cloud solutions with seven new offerings

April 13, 2011

Ingram Micro cloud and services exec Renée Bergeron

CHICAGO – As expected, the cloud was the major buzzword at this year’s VTN Spring Invitational here, and hosting distributor Ingram Micro used the event as the stage for the launch of a series of seven more cloud and managed services offerings.

The distributor introduced four new vendor relationships – deals with Intermedia, Fujitsu America and Sonicwall, as well as three pieces with IBM, further rounding out its array of cloud and managed-services offerings.

The new products were introduced by Renée Bergeron, vice president of managed services and cloud computing at Ingram, who called the offerings “just the beginning.”

Here are the details of the new programs.

Spierkel eyes more solutions-focused Ingram Micro

April 11, 2011

Ingram Micro CEO Greg Spierkel

CHICAGO – Ingram Micro CEO Greg Spierkel wants the distributor to become “more solutions oriented,” he told attendees during the kickoff of the 2011 VentureTech Network Spring Invitational here.

Spierkel said that Ingram already does a lot to support resellers in vertical markets and the data centre, with technical skills and configuration capabilities, but that the capabilities the distributor delivers today “are not rich enough.

“We’re already doing several billion dollars of business” in this space, Spierkel told attendees. “But we believe it should eclipse $10 billion.”

The distributor already has configuration capabilities around the world and has built up significant services practices under the Seismic and Ingram Micro Services Network brands, among others.

Synnex to resellers: You get out of Varnex what you put in

By Chris Talbot

April 11, 2011

Bob Stegner, SVP of marketing for North America at Synnex.

BOSTON – As Synnex‘s Varnex conference kicked off this morning, the message was clear: The distributor is pushing hard to continue developing Varnex, which only crossed the border into the Great White North last year, as a community of SMB-focused partners. Synnex’s head of marketing asked members to get involved and spread the word to attract more members to the three-year-old organization.

“You get out of Varnex what you put into it,” said Bob Stegner, senior vice president of marketing for North America at Synnex, during his opening addresss at the conference. There’s only so much that Synnex can do to make Varnex work; the rest is up to an active membership base, he added.

IBM makes cloud-friendly partner licensing, financing shifts

April 11, 2011

IBM Monday afternoon announced a new licensing option for independent software vendor (ISV) partners and a zero per cent financing promo, both designed to further bolster its cloud computing efforts.

The two new programs, introduced at its IBM Impact event in Las Vegas, further Big Blue’s push with its business partner towards the cloud – a market IBM sees as a $7 billion (U.S.) opportunity for itself by 2015.

The new programs follow two months after IBM made its formal push into the cloud with the channel, rolling out its Cloud Computing Specialty and Cloud Computing Authorization programs at the IBM PartnerWorld Leadership Conference in Orlando in February.

“This is a continuation of that story, getting into a very important piece, the pricing and financing models of the cloud,” said Dave Mitchell, director of strategy for ISV and developer relations at IBM.

Liveblog: VTN Spring Invitational 2011 Day One

April 11, 2011

CHICAGO — Ingram Micro’s VentureTech Network community of solution providers kicks off its twelfth year with the grand opening of the Spring Invitational 2011 at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers here.

Along with introductions from Ingram’s John Fago and VTN Council co-presidents Rob Bracey and Jim Veraldi, the session will feature Ingram CEO Greg Spierkel, cloud and services chief Renée Bergeron, Big Blue’s Harris Warsaw and channel analyst Tiffani Bova of Gartner.

We’ll be there covering the event as it happens. Expect the liveblog to go live shortly after 9:00 am Central time, and run through about noon Central.

Cisco channel program changes highlight architectures

April 11, 2011

Cisco Systems Monday announced changes to its partner program, shifting the partner specializations that determine the tiering of its partners to match the broad “architectural plays” around which it goes to market.

Under the new program, three new architectural specializations – Advanced Borderless Networks; Advanced Collaboration and Advanced Data Centre – replace a series of advanced technology specializations.

“This is an important evolution to our channel program, and not the kind of change we make very often,” said Ricardo Moreno, senior director of strategy, planning and programs for the worldwide partner organization at Cisco. “All of these [architectures] require way more than boxes to be adopted and to be realized.”

Preview: Dueling distie community conferences

April 10, 2011

Chicago and Boston

Chicago hosts VTN while Boston hosts Varnex

Channel community events from Synnex’s Varnex group and Ingram Micro’s VentureTech Network community will go head-to-head this week as each group holds its first major event of the year and outlines the path forward.

And for the first time, ChannelBuzz.ca will be in two places at one time. Gone a little multiple personality, have we? Not really. I’ll be blogging live from the Windy City for VentureTech, while my esteemed colleague Chris Talbot will be reporting from Beantown for Varnex.

So what are we expecting? What’s the topic at every conference in 2011?

Partners applaud Chambers’ back-to-basics memo

April 10, 2011

Zarek and MacDonald

Compugen's Zarek (left) and Long View Systems' MacDonald (right) say Chambers' memo is a positive step

Two major Cisco Canada partners are optimistic about the company’s direction following last week’s admission from CEO John Chambers that it needs to make some changes.

Although both stress that details are still to come and that the key will be in those details and Cisco’s execution on them, both Harry Zarek, president and CEO of Compugen and Kent MacDonald, vice president of business development at Long View Systems, give Chambers memo (full text available here) a thumbs up.

In the memo, Chambers admits that while there are things that Cisco does very well, there are also some things it has do better at, and gives an outline of the plan to improve execution in those challenged areas.

DirectDial.com launches affiliate program for consultants

April 10, 2011

DirectDial Screenshot

A partner co-branded DirectDial.com site

London, Ont.-based e-commerce site DirectDial.com is reaching out to IT consultants and the growing number of other pure-play services companies in the channel with the launch of an affiliate program.

Under the program, partners offer a co-branded version of DirectDial’s e-commerce engine on their Web store, and get a commission for all sales through that Web site.

The program comes from a realization that the company’s sweet spot is in the S of SMB, the same as many of the smaller IT services shops it’s targeting with the affiliate program. It also comes from the realization that many of those consultants are already using the site – according to Bill King, director of sales and marketing at DirectDial, from 3,000 of the 7,000 to 10,000 small IT consultants in Canada are already ordering the site.

Video: Getting a grasp on solutions with Avnet

April 7, 2011

SPONSORED CONTENT – Solutions. It’s a weighty word in the channel, and one that’s used in a lot of different ways by a lot of different parties.

In this video interview, Brian Aebig, general manager of Avnet Technology Solutions Canada, discusses how Avnet defines solutions, the distributor’s branding as a solutions distributor, and how SolutionsPath practices can help solution providers refine and redefine their own businesses.

Aebig touches on how Avnet identifies target markets for SolutionsPath practices, and offers some advice on how VARs can find the right areas to focus when it comes to practice-building. He also offers his advice on how solution providers can avoid commoditization and bring higher-value offerings to market, and discusses how Avnet plans to evolve its SolutionsPath approach as change continues to shape the industry.

Check out the video after the jump.

Nimsoft targets MSP help desk with Unified Manager

April 7, 2011

Nimsoft Service Desk IT management software vendor Nimsoft is throwing its hat into the increasingly active ring for service desk systems for VARs and MSPs with the launch of Nimsoft Unified Manager.

Chris O’Connell, director of product marketing at Nimsoft, said the expansion beyond its core unified monitoring offerings is part of a bid by Nimsoft to offer MSPs a more integrated stack of products on which to build their business. Typically, he said, new Nimsoft customers are using the company’s wares to replace “two, three or four niche products they were working with,” and that number continues to expand as Nimsoft rounds out its offerings.

Cisco updates physical security products, launches new network readiness service

By Chris Talbot

April 7, 2011

Cisco IP Camera Updates to existing Cisco Systems products, as well as a new network readiness assessment service, will boost the company’s presence in the physical security space while also making the integration and management of video surveillance systems easier.

Cisco announced yesterday at ISC West updates to its Cisco Physical Access Manager and to the Cisco IP Interoperability and Collaboration System (IPICS) that were designed to make it easier for customers (and partners, naturally) to make the transition to IP-based security systems. The overall Cisco physical security solution ties in IP cameras, video surveillance, access control, and notification and response at a time when the business interest in video is growing by leaps and bounds, said David Hsieh, vice president of marketing for emerging technologies at Cisco.

Ingram Micro takes to the rink in charity hockey game

April 7, 2011

Ingram Micro Canada’s crew packed their hockey gear last weekend and paid a friendly visit to their U.S. compatriots in Buffalo, NY, playing a cross-border game and raising money for charity at the Dwyer Arena in Buffalo.

With the help of sponsors Cisco, Castle Pines, Optima, Lenovo, JCarr, Golden Crown Marketing, HP, Microsoft, Samsung CE and Toshiba, the distributor raised $20,000 for the Buffalo Sled Hockey Association and $2,500 for the Sick Kids Foundation here in Canada.

We won’t mention the final score, since this was an event about making money for worthy charities and building camaraderie. Besides, Canada will get ‘em next year.

Check out video highlights of the game (courtesy of Ingram Micro) after the jump.

Tech Data Canada relaunches ATSC

April 6, 2011

Tech Data Canada president Rick Reid and Richard Toledo, manager of technology services.

Tech Data Canada Tuesday re-opened the Advanced Technology Solutions Centre at its Mississauga, Ont. headquarters after an expansion that added another room to the facility.

Along with an expanded footprint, the distributor has also expanded the number of vendors on board as well as the footprint of the solutions on display in the centre. Whereas the previous iteration of the ATSC was very Cisco-centric, the new version features a wider array of technologies from 19 different technology partners.

“The purpose is to be a vendor-agnostic demo centre,” Richard Toledo, manager of technology services at Tech Data Canada, told solution providers touring the new facility. “We’ve made it more interactive, more of a training facility. This is your facility as much as it is ours.”

Hitachi Data Systems extends software family with IT Operations Director

April 6, 2011

Hitachi Data Systems has expanded its software offerings with the launch of IT Operations Director.

The new software package offers a single pane of glass approach to IT lifecycle management software, combining local network asset management, software distribution and security management in a single package.

And Hitachi believes that, combined with its IT Operations Analyzer package, it’s got a package that will help channel partners manage their clients’ environment.

Here’s why.

Slideshow: HP Americas Partner Conference

April 6, 2011

Stephen DiFranco at APC 2011

Stephen DiFranco at APC 2011

Hewlett-Packard held its Americas Partner Conference 2011 event in Las Vegas last week, giving its partners an introduction to new CEO Léo Apotheker, a preview of technologies yet to come, and details of its roadmap to move HP into the cloud.

Partners found out that webOS will fit firmly in HP’s channel strategy and got a chance to get their hands on the upcoming TouchPad tablet, and virtually all of the company’s top business unit executives offered their two cents on how their business will evolve in a changing market.

From Léo the CÉO to guest entertainer Darius Rucker, here are 16 scenes from this year’s APC.

Read More »

Cables To Go: There’s money to be made in cables

April 5, 2011

Dave Walsh Cables to Go

Dave Walsh, new country manager for Canada at Cables to Go

If you don’t think of cables as a high-value part of the solutions you’re delivering to customers, Cables To Go would like to have a word with you.

The company has made expansion in Canada a priority over the last year, and recently introduced its first Canadian country manager in industry veteran Dave Walsh. Walsh’s missions: Make cabling sexy. His approach: Point out how profitable it can be.

“You quickly realize it’s the glue in many of these solutions,” Walsh said. “It’s required, and you have to do it well.”

And you can make it a nice little margin component as well – Cables To Go’s studies show instances of partners making 28 per cent margins over the course of three years.

HP Canada honours top partners at APC

April 4, 2011

HP honoured its top Canadian partners at last week’s HP Americas Partner Conference 2011 in Las Vegas, handing out awards for top-growing partners in each of its three businesses.

In Canada, those winners were:

Insight Canada took home the Partner in Excellence Award for growth with HP’s Personal Systems Group;
LaserNetworks won the Partner in Excellence Award for growth with HP’s Imaging and Printing Group; and
Compugen took the Partner in Excellence Award for growth with HP Canada’s Enterprise Business.

Compugen also took home the company’s Power of Preserving our Ecosystem Partner in Excellence Award for its Green4Good program (of which HP is a sponsor) rolled out last October.

Is the channel HP’s secret weapon for Touchpad?

March 30, 2011

LAS VEGAS – Let’s start by setting expectations: The purpose of this post is not to answer the question set out in the headline.

Rather, it’s to pose the question – one that I found myself asking myself more frequently as my days here at HP Americas Partner Conference 2011 wound on. In many ways, I had come here expecting to be asking questions about whether HP saw its channel as a part of the mix for the soon-to-launch tablet. But those questions were quickly answered, and replaced by the question in the headline.

Here’s why.

Cold-call to client leads to solution provider merger

March 30, 2011

Graycon Group's Douglas Gray

It’s one of the most unique stories that ever led to a merger – one solution provider cold-calls another’s customer, and it leads directly to the two becoming one.

According to Douglas Gray, president and CEO of Calgary-based Graycon Group, it was a cold call from Kamloops-based Voda Computer Systems to Graycon client Lake Okanagan Resort that ultimately led to the two merging.

“I’m a big believer in Karma,” Gray said with a laugh. “Things happen because they’re meant to happen.”

The cold-call led to Voda getting in touch with Graycon, which led to a conversation between Gray and Voda chief Andrew Watson, which quickly led to the two coming together. “At the end of that first call, both of us saw the deal,” Gray said.

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