Oracle to VARs: Specialize

So, if you’re an Oracle VAR (or a Sun VAR wanting to become an Oracle VAR) here’s what you gotta do: Specialize.

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Inspiration for tech legal eagles

If you have never thought about targeting law firms as a potential customer segment, you might want to take a look at a new survey conducted by CompTIA, the self-billed non-profit trade association for the IT industry.

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Helping Sun hardware VARs take the Oracle leap

Arrow ECS yesterday unveiled a Fast Track program to help Sun hardware VARs move into the Oracle Partner Network (OPN).

This is no easy task, since no one outside of Oracle appears to know what role there will be  for Sun hardware resellers going forward. Or if there will be a role. Oracle will host a web cast on this year’s channel go-to-market plans later this afternoon. Continued »

Symantec Survey: Security is biggest SMB tech worry, mobility bigger factor

What, me worry? In stark contrast to just 15 months ago, the 2010 Global SMB Information Protection Survey from Symantec finds that small and midsize businesses rank “protecting their information” as their top IT concern. The report is based on the findings of 2,152 executives from more than 28 countries during May 2010.

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Oracle turns the screw on Sun hardware support

News from the field is that as of Monday, Oracle will no longer accept any purchase orders on Sun (er Oracle) hardware that do not include support.

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Allison Watson leaves partner role at Microsoft

Two Microsoft corporate VPs are swapping places.

Allison Watson, who has been the worldwide partner chief at Microsoft for eight years, is moving into a new marketing  role at the software giant. Watson will be corporate vice president of for Microsoft’s Business & Marketing Organization where she steps in for Ian Roskill. Roskill will take on Watson’s duties leading the Microsoft Partner Network.

The change comes just two weeks before the annual Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Washington D.C. and both execs will speak at the event, Microsoft said

Some Microsoft watchers wondered why Ross Brown, another vice president in the channel organization, did not get tapped.

The changes will be effective July 1, the start of Microsoft’s fiscal year.

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Oracle nixes HP Solaris contract

You had to see this one coming.

The Register reports that Oracle has deep-sixed Hewlett-Packard’s ability to sell/support Solaris running on X-64-based HP hardware. Given that  Oracle has said it will only support Solaris running on Sun (now Oracle) hardware, this is not a huge surprise.

What’s unclear is how long it will take for Oracle to nix similar OEM agreements with Dell and IBM et al.

One long-time Sun VAR said that Oracle is squandering the Solaris promise, Solaris being the only Unix that can run on both Intel and RISC processors.

This is just another step down Oracle’s long road to offer pricey Sun-based appliances — data center iPods if you will –for data centers that need to handle uber-high transaction loads. Meanwhile those iPods–the Exadatas– are being touted as the latest and greatest in Sun hardware but take a look at the specs: The operating system? Linux, not Solaris. The chips? Intel xeons not Sparc.

Sun customers want to know why there is so little forthcoming from Oracle about the Sparc and Solaris roadmaps especially given how much the company has boosted their support costs. IBM and HP are besieging Sun hardware shops –often using former Sun techies to talk about how little Oracle knows or cares about hardware.

It’ll be interesting to hear what the company has to say on this topic its anual sales kickoff later this month.

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Quick video refresher on new Microsoft competencies

OK, so probably many of you have made your arrangement to fly to Washington, D.C., for the annual Microsoft worldwide partner conference. Last year, the company announced a whole set of new competencies, which means that most of you have had to rejigger your certifications with the software developer.

For those of you who need a little refresher on what’s required, there is a new video on the Microsoft Partner Network Web site. The content features Julie Bennani, general manager of the Microsoft Partner Network, and Pam Salzer, senior director of worldwide partner marketing at Microsoft, discussing what has (and IS) changing. It’s about 15 minutes long, but worth the investment.

Also, between now and the end of the month you have an opportunity to re-do any exam you might have failed. (Yes, a second chance!) Here’s the link for more information.

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Whoops! Oracle/Sun not looking so profitable after all

Remember when Larry Ellison chastised analysts and reporters for forecasting that  Oracle would decimate Sun Microsystems headcount? Oracle was hiring, not firing, he said.

And, remember Ellison promising that the Oracle-Sun combo would be profitable in February?  This was, in fact, in late January as Ellison, Charles Phillips et al. detailed the roadmap for Sun integration into Oracle.

So far things don’t look too perky on those fronts.  Continued »

Oracle Sun hardware support policies already wearing thin

Hewlett-Packard, IBM and yes–even Cisco Systems–hope to make hay out of Oracle’s decision to boost support price on Sun hardware.

And there’s no shortage of Sun VARs who claim–off the record– that their customers are irked–make that irate–over the policy changes. Not at all hard to believe. Continued »