Systems and systems management

Now that you’ve helped your clients go virtual, how can you help manage it all?

A vendor agreement announced last week by distributor Tech Data is definitely a sign of things to come in the virtualization space. That is, a move to manage and secure all the virtual environments that have sprung up all over your clients’ data centers.

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Will telecom operators shake up competition in cloud computing?

AT&T’s announcement last week that it has entered cloud computing is a sign that software as a service (SaaS) players will see heavy competition from a powerful source — telecom network operators.

In June, Verizon also announced a so-called on-demand computing program, and analysts say other network operators are soon to follow.

For systems integrators trying to find their place in the already precarious SaaS market, it means going to bat against telecom operators that already have deep relationships with enterprises.

“There are companies out there that want hosted solutions, and they are going to say [to network operators] ‘you’ve got my circuits already, so you can host too,’” Chris Thompson, Cisco senior director of solutions marketing, said. Continued »

Microsoft releases SQL Server 2008

Five months after its official launch, SQL Server 2008 released to manufacturing today.

Microsoft made the announcement this afternoon during a conference call with Ted Kummert, corporate vice president of the data and storage platform division. He touted SQL Server 2008’s out-of-the-box data management and business intelligence capabilities. VARs and customers will also be happy to know that this latest version does not come with a price increase.

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EDS shareholders move to block HP acquisition

Electronic Data Systems (EDS) shareholders will take to a Texas district court Thursday to seek an order to postpone a July 31 shareholders meeting in which they are meant to vote on the Hewlett-Packard (HP) acquisition.

Shareholders say the current acquisition agreement stalls the price of EDS shares at $25 and prohibits EDS from seeking higher bids from other companies. They say EDS is worth more, considering it has seen increased revenue in the past year and its 2008 revenue projections are on target.

“Why is EDS accepting what many experts consider to be an undervalued share price,” asked Randall Baron, an attorney with Baron & Budd, one of the law firms representing the shareholders. Continued »

Microsoft roadmap tidbits from WPC

Microsoft execs talked some roadmap stuff at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference.

SQL Server 2008 continues its dance with destiny. On Wednesday, Microsoft corporate vice president Bob Kelly, said the much-delayed database will be on the August price list. And, hr pointed out helpfully, there will be no price hikes “unlike Oracle.”  

Small quibble: The fact that the new database is on the price list is no guarantee it will actually be available in August. That price list statement “lets customers and partners know that Microsoft expects to meet its deadline to deliver a new release within the Q3 timeframe,” a spokesman said via email.

Given that some corporate accounts were told (by Microsoft) that they’d get their final code last week, this is puzzling. Oh well.

CEO Steve Ballmer said the next Office Communications Server is due “later this year.” But that gets into the whole ‘did he mean calendar year or fiscal year?’ debate. Any guesses?

Also: Hyper-V hit Windows Assurance this week; SBS 2008 and Windows Essential Business Server are promised for GA November 12; System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 and Microsoft Application Virtualization betas are now available; and the next release of Windows HPC 2008 is on for the fall.

Microsoft security partners get bonuses for selling identity products

Lost among the hoopla over Microsoft’s Vista and Software as a Service news yesterday were some pretty big channel enhancements for security partners.

The back story to the news is that, for the past year, Microsoft has been combining its security and identity business groups into one new department, the aptly named Security and Identity Business Group. Now that most of the logistics are in place, Microsoft is adding new incentives for partners who sell security and identity products together.

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Symantec stresses endpoint management up-sell opportunities

We first reported on Symantec Endpoint Management Suite 1.0 last week, when I found that Symantec had prematurely posted product details on its website. But today marks the suite’s official launch, which means I can finally give even more details that Symantec provided last week in an embargoed interview.

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Dell gets partner religion (again)

Well, credit Dell with putting on a  good show for solution providers with its most recent pledge to embrace the channel. Maybe the company will make good on its promises this time around but here are a few things to remember.

First, this whole Dell-vs.-the-channel thread isn’t as cut-and-dried as it seems. I’ve talked with several resellers over the years who preferred dealing with Dell than with the allegedly more channel-friendly HP or other hardware vendors.  Many said that hardware margins were so thin anyway, they usually skipped that part of the sale unless the customer insisted. And in those cases, Dell was as good a choice as any. At least until Dell service woes surfaced so publicly.

And, many solution providers who had healthy hardware businesses a decade ago are now software-and-services only. That tells you something about the nature of competing not only with Dell but with CDW and other low-cost suppliers.

Let us not forget that Dell built its fortune on being great on logistics. It never led the field in great, creative, fun machines. Nor on service.  (I’m sure Michael would beg to differ–what would you expect?) But there’s nothing wrong with using a supplier who can drop-ship you a server or a PC but fast.

And another thing: Dell has had many enablers in its partner-bashing past.  You know who they are.  Big names. Like Oracle and Microsoft. When it was top dog, Dell got T&Cs from all of these guys–Intel too, I’d wager–that no one else could hope for.

Dell’s sales force types are no angels. Witness the tales of VARs who say the a strategicically gifted flat-panel TV to a customer exec spelled the difference between them and Dell winning a given deal. But is that sales force any worse than Oracle’s  or IBM Global Services in the enterprise arena? All of these vendors–including Microsoft– want account control for themselves. No partner can ever forget that.

So, let’s wait and see what happens with Dell’s new programs. But how hard is it going to be for any VAR battered by Dell in the past to start registering leads with the vendor now?

Most solution providers will tell you they see lead registration as a vendor tool for collecting customer info it later uses for its own (often direct) benefit. And Dell certainly didn’t patent that idea.

Barbara Darrow, a Boston-area reporter, can be reached at badarrow@comcast.net.

Avnet acquires Acal plc’s IT solutions division

Avnet Inc. today announced that it will acquire the IT solutions division of Acal plc., a strategic move that pushes Avnet’s distribution channels further into Europe and shores up its storage offerings to customers in the European Union. 

Acal IT Solutions is a leading value-added distributor for storage area networking (SAN), secure networking and electronic document management products and services. Acal IT Solutions has operations in the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and Sweden, and the division will be integrated into Avnet Technology Solutions’ EMEA business, but not before the transaction is approval by Acal shareholders and EU merger control clearance.

“Avnet has outlined a strategy of growing our business by delivering complete solutions to our partners around the globe,” said Vincent Keenan, Avnet’s vice president and director, investor relations.  “The acquisition brings us new supplier relationships and ultimately more storage solutions for VARs in Europe by offering a broader line of products. For the U.S. there is no immediate impact,” Keenan added.

With the deal Avnet will assume an additional 2,000 Acal resellers and system integrators as well as 180 experienced personnel that design and install complex storage networking systems and document management requirements.

Acal IT Solutions markets a wide range of storage networking, networking and fibre channel products from several manufactures including Brocade, Cisco, Emulex, Juniper and Qlogic and document management products from Canon, Fujitsu and Kodak.

“The acquisition does not specifically impact the cost of storage products, but does give Avnet’s partners in
Europe the opportunity to offer a wider variety of complete storage solutions to their customers, potentially increasing their revenue and growth,” Keenan said.

Another benefit to Avnet will be Acal IT Solutions’ Headway Technology Group, which focuses on document management and storage with a portfolio of products including document capture software, scanners, optical, CD and DVD storage hardware and software and tape backup solutions.

Additionally, the acquisition will bring to Avnet a value-added services unit that provides network infrastructure planning,  implementation and training as well as technical support.

Acal IT Solutions’ revenue was approximately $200 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007.

HP drives toward”Global 500,000″ focuses on blades, includes some services

Hewlett-Packard Co. launched an assault on the mid-market yesterday, targeting what it calls the “global 500,000” – companies with between 100 and 999 employees.

Like similar marketing campaigns from Dell, IBM, Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle and SAP, among others, HP’s stated goal is to provide high-end functions in relatively affordable systems that are easy to install, customize and administer.

“HP actually does quite well in SMB and the mid-market, though no one with the possible exception of Microsoft is really happy with their position,” according to Jonathan Eunice, principal analyst for Illuminata, in Nashua, NH.

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