How can VARs and MSPs control their destinies, pricing and margins while pushing into cloud storage and online backup services. Get the answers during our next Channel Expert Hour webcast on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Register to learn from two top channel partners –Data Storage Corp. and Bumi (Backup My Info!) — and Asigra. Here are more details…

Both Data Storage Corp. and BUMI partnered with Asigra to build the cloud storage businesses. Now you can learn from leaders at each company:

• Matthew P. Grosso, executive VP, Data Storage Corp.
• Jennifer Walzer, CEO, BUMI (Backup My Info! Inc.)
• Eran Farajun, Executive VP, Asigra

Register now and join us Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 2:00 p.m. ET/11:00 a.m. PT. We look forward to your questions.

• Today’s Webcast: Five Steps to Cloud Services Sales
• Can You Profit From Mobile Device Management?
• Webcast: Adjusting Your SLAs for Managed and Cloud Services
• Today’s Webcast – MSPmentor 100 Experts Share Next Moves
• Join Us Today: SaaS Strategy Tips Plus MSPmentor 100 Preview

Ziff Davis Enterprise (publisher of eWeek, Baseline Magazine, CIO Insight Magazine and Channel Insider) has been sold. The buyer has yet to be publicly disclosed but multiple sources on Twitter point to Quinstreet, the lead generation company. Here’s the back story, which was a decade in the making.

Over the past decade, the Ziff Davis Enterprise team transitioned from print publications to web, digital and mobile editions. It was a sometimes painful process, but the ZDE team always seemed to rally. The deeper story here involves important lessons in corporate debt, company valuations, branding, seismic market shifts and the Ziff Davis Enterprise team’s incredible will to fight on.

First, some important notes:

• The sale of Ziff Davis Enterprise allegedly includes significant job cuts, according to those who were briefed about the deal today. The VAR Guy is not in a position to speculate about how Ziff Davis Enterprise’s brands may or may not evolve.
• Today’s news has nothing to do with Ziff Davis (a completely separate company) and ZDNet (the popular blog destination, also a separate business).

Now for the back story on how Ziff Davis Enterprise reached today’s exit sale.

The story starts in December 1999, when Willis Stein — an investment firm — acquired Ziff Davis Publishing for $780 million. At first glance the deal looked promising. Ziff Davis Publishing, after all, produced massive magazines like PC Magazine, eWeek (formerly PCWeek), PC Computing and more.

But the deal was fundamentally flawed from the get-go. Willis Stein over-paid for Ziff Davis Publishing right before the dot-com implosion occurred and print advertising began to dry up. Further complicating matters Ziff Davis Publishing didn’t even control its own magazine websites. Indeed, CNet at the time oversaw the ZD Publishing online media sites. And CNet in 2000 ultimately paid $1.6 billion in stock to gain control of another Ziff Davis online component called ZDNet.

To Willis Stein’s credit, the investment firm helped Ziff Davis Publishing — at the time, rebranded as Ziff Davis Media — to shift away from print advertising, regain magazine website control from CNet, and generate new revenue streams from events and other areas. But debt payments continued to choke Ziff Davis Media while revenues spiraled downward. Indeed, revenues fell to $181 million in 2006, down from $535 million in 1999.

Still, there was a glimmer of hope. Under then-CEO Bob Callahan, Ziff Davis Media’s EBITDA actually rose to $27.1 million in 2006 from $17 million in 2005. Based on that uptick, Willis Stein decided it was time to exit the investment.

By late 2006 or early 2007, Willis Stein had positioned Ziff Davis Media so that it could be sold off in parts:

• The Enterprise Group (now known as Ziff Davis Enterprise)
• The Game Group
• Consumer/Small Business Group (now known as Ziff Davis, including the PCMag.com brand)

But the sale process raised as many questions as it answered:

• Ziff Davis Enterprise: In July 2007, Insight Venture Partners acquired the Enterprise Group and branded it as Ziff Davis Enterprise. But history repeated itself. Sources say Insight paid too much for the enterprise group and the business has since struggled to overcome debt issues. By 2008, Ziff Davis Enterprise had secured another $20 million in funding to set the stage for acquisitions and innovations. But no major acquisitions ever occurred, The VAR Guy believes.
• Ziff Davis: In 2010, Time Inc. Veteran Vivek Shah and Great Hill Partners essentially acquired the consumer/small business group of Ziff Davis, including PCMag.com. Shah has since led an impressive acquisition spree, accelerating the company’s all-digital strategy.
• ZDNet: It remains a popular online destination filled with top blog personalities.

Still: For advertisers, sponsors and readers it became increasingly difficult to track all the different Ziff Davis properties — which ultimately had no real financial or business relationships with one another.

If one Ziff brand suffered from negative news — such as the Ziff Davis Media bankruptcy filing in 2008 — the other, unrelated Ziff companies had to communicate that they were not involved in the bad news.

Multiple sources say Ziff Davis Enterprise considered a complete brand change in 2008 but decided to stick with the good (Ziff Davis universal name recognition) with the bad (brand confusion with the other, unrelated companies).

Initially, Insight Venture Partners’ 2007 buyout of Ziff Davis Enterprise had promise. By January 2008, former CMP Media CEO Steve Weitzner joined Ziff Davis Enterprise as  CEO.

Weitzner and his evolving management team trimmed costs and focused on innovation. But sources say Ziff Davis Enterprise was always plagued by that lingering debt. Like a house purchased during the inflated real estate market,  Ziff Davis Enterprise was always hounded by those debt payments. In more recent years, sources say, Insight Venture Partners essentially exited Ziff Davis Enterprise, leaving the business for bankers and debt holders to monitor.

Through it all, the ZDE team marched forward and evolved — rebuilding its e-Seminars business and launching an aggressive mobile content strategy. But oh, that lingering debt.

Judgment day approached in late 2011, when bankers may have ran out of patience and started shopping Ziff Davis Enterprise to potential suitors, The VAR Guy believes. The timing was ironic: Morale seemed pretty high within Ziff Davis Enterprise’s halls in 2011. But at some point today, Ziff Davis Enterprise employees were told the company had been sold and certain staff members were let go. And LinuxDevices.com, part of Ziff Davis Enterprise, leaked news of the sale today.

An official public announcement has yet to surface as of 5:17 p.m. eastern on Feb. 3, but some Ziff Davis Enterprise employees are informing their sources about job cuts and company ownership changes.

Where does the Ziff Davis Enterprise story go from here? Stay tuned.

Several of The VAR Guy’s team members are former Ziff Davis Media employees who worked in the business unit that ultimately became Ziff Davis Enterprise. The VAR Guy sends best wishes to current and former Ziff Davis Enterprise employees.

• Related posts are coming soon

The Super Bowl is nearly here — but The VAR Guy can’t say much about The Big Game since some of our blog team members are lifelong New England Patriots fans. And other bloggers here are far wiser New York Giants fans. (Guess which camp the always-wise VAR Guy belongs to?) While you’re weighing the answer to that question, here are the nine most read technology news and channel partner stories from our blog network — The VAR Guy, MSPmentor and Talkin’ Cloud — for the week ending Feb. 3, 2012.

9. SAP Cloud Computing Strategy: SAP’s Greg Tomb made some lofty cloud strategy claims to contributing blogger Nicholas Mukhar. Catch up on the conversation here.

8. VMware Opens Up Cloud Foundry:  This VMware move could have key implications in the PaaS (platform as a service) market, according to contributing blogger Matt Weinberger.

7. Five Cloud Computing Experts to Watch: Our weekly update to the Talkin’ Cloud 200 — which tracks the top cloud computing experts in the IT channel — continues to build a loyal readership.

6. End of the World As We Know It: This catchy guest blog from PacketTrap MSP caught reader eyeballs on MSPmentor.

5. Apple OS X Errors: The Apple Mac OS X Lion 10.7.3 build, released February 1, caused more headaches than it fixed. Contributing blogger David Courbanou gave readers the details.

4. Big Move: Rackspace is planning to get into the remote monitoring business. Initial details surfaced at the CA MSP Symposium in Miami, Fla., this week.

3. What’s the Price Tag?: When MSPmentor explained why VARs and MSPs need sales proposal and quoting software, readers tuned in.

2. Microsoft’s Next Office: David Courbanou tracks Microsoft’s plans for Office 2012, and the implications for channel partners.

1. Google’s Plans for Motorola Mobility: The next step could involve a Google senior VP becoming CEO of Motorola Mobility.

Those are the top-read blogs for this week. But stick around. You never know when a few addition news surprises will surface on The VAR Guy.

• Technology News: 9 Most Read Channel Partner Stories, Jan. 27
• This Week’s 9 Most Read Channel News Stories, Jan. 20
• Has The VAR Guy Sold His Soul?
• The VAR Guy: New Owner, Same Attitude, Big Opportunities
• Top 100 MSPs: Who Are They This Year?

Dot Hill, the company behind the AssuredSAN storage system, wants to assure all owners of the AssuredSAN storage system that their investment will be completely assured. Thus, enter the Dot Hill one-year-free, on-site-support initiative. If you’re sure you want to know more, rest assured, the full details of the AssuredSAN storage support program are surely coming up.

What’s the reason for the sudden outpouring of free support? Dot Hill’s VP of Channel Sales Brad Painter said it better then I could: “We want our channel partners and end-user customers to know that ‘Assured’ is not just the name of our SAN solutions, but also how we want them to feel when they turn to Dot Hill products to manage and protect their critical data assets.”

Now, when a customer buys an AssuredSAN storage system, an entire year of free, on-site support will come with it, direct from Dot Hill. The company believes this will give its end users “unparalleled technical support and greater peace of mind,” which Dot Hill believes can naturally roll over into greater product proliferation in the channel.

As it stands now, Dot Hill AssuredSAN products already come with a three-year warranty when purchased, but to be eligible for the year of free on-site support, you’ll have to register first at Dot Hill’s site. But wait, there’s more! If you decide you like that support so much, you can actually buy a three-year, on-site protection plan an “an attractive price,” so long as you buy it within 30 days of activating your first free year. You may want to act fast, since Dot Hill has added the disclaimer that it “may modify or discontinue program offerings, such as free support, in the future with or without notice.”

Since Dot Hill is offering this service direct, we reached out to Dot Hill to find out if channel partners can have the opportunity to provide these on-site services through Dot Hill. The official statement received came from Dot Hill’s channel marketing manager, Kara Montgomery, who said Dot Hill will maintain control over this program right now, but “as partners come on board that can offer support through their organization, Dot Hill expects to build out a program for resellers to take level 1 and level 2 support.”

We’ll keep tabs on Dot Hill and be sure to let you know if and when channel partners can be part of Dot Hill’s AssuredSAN on-site assurance program.

• Dot Hill Inks Agreement with Storage Distributor Info X
• Microsoft Windows 8 Storage Spaces Reinvents Drive Extender
• CES 2012 Preview: Top 5 Technologies Expected to Dominate
• Dot Hill Bolsters Storage Partner Program for SMB VARs
• New Dot Hill VPs Focus on Storage Partners, Customer Service

If you’re a VAR who just can’t get enough of the channel, Tech Data has something to satisfy your craving. The distributor is now publishing a digital edition of Authority magazine, and it’s designed to be “a wealth of expertise” on all things emerging in the channel. If thumbing through channel news sounds like your idea of fun, then it’s about to get better …

If Authority sounds familiar, it’s because it is. Authority magazine has been published by Tech Data’s TDAgency for a while with more than 30,000 channel partners currently receiving the publication, according to Tech Data. But this time Tech Data is focusing on the digital world by giving Authority magazine a fresh coat of digital paint. The first issue of the interactive Authority magazine will focus on the latest CES trends, including Ultrabooks and all-in-one computers, plus a featured deep-dive into the digital signage marketplace.

Tech Data promises the new digital edition of Authority magazine will continue to provide the “wealth of expertise” and “in-depth coverage on key markets and trends,” but now  will include embedded video seminars, interactive and hyperlinked adverts, quick links to social networks for sharing and instant ordering inside the digital magazine. Tech Data is also welcoming advertisers, media and more to jump on the new digital publication. You can check out the full details on subscriptions and the tech specs of the magazine at Tech Data’s Authority site.

According to Tech Data, Authority magazine is mobile-compatible, so channel partners who enjoy reading on their iPad or other Android tablet can read it on the go. If you’re not sure that Authority magazine is for you, you can test drive the first digital issue inside your browser and decide for yourself. Considering Apple’s recent textbook announcement and the ever-improving standards of tablet devices, interactive digital publications may take off in 2012.

• Tech Data Broadens Cloud, Virtualization Stance, Joins VCE
• Tech Data Moves Deeper Into Digital Signage Market
• Amid Regulation Issues, Tech Data Halts Brazilian Operations
• Distribution Roundup: Tech Data, Ingram Micro, Avnet
• Technology News The VAR Guy Forgot to Write: Nov. 4

Apple’s Software Update application is one of the nicest things about OS X. You’re kindly alerted to a new update and can install at your leisure. But Apple slipped up Feb. 1, 2012, with the latest OS X Lion 10.7.3 update. Some users are reporting unsavory effects, the worst of which is heavy application crashing. But never fear, we’ve got the details on how to avoid any hiccups during your OS X update…

If you’re the unfortunate user who installed the Mac OS X 10.7.3 update right away, you might be dealing with severe crashing of system applications, in addition to bizarre graphical glitches where buttons and other objects have been replaced with a image of a question mark with the word “CUI” across the top. If you haven’t updated yet, that’s a good thing. You can take your chance with the OS X software update application, but your best bet is to download the Mac OS X 10.7.3 combo update. The combo update, unlike the “delta” update from Apple’s update application, includes data for upgrading any version of Lion, not just 10.7.3. Users have reported successful installs and successful fixes by using this version of the update. According to 9to5Mac, Apple is already under way fixing the issue, but the mere fact Apple pushed out 10.7.3 with bugs of this magnitude are embarrassing and far from the level of quality users expect.

When my Mac is alerted to any update, I usually wait a day or two to make sure everything is kosher. For VARs and channel partners who are relying on Apple hardware, I would recommend either installing the combo update, or simply waiting for Apple to re-issue the update with a fix. I’ll personally be waiting on Apple’s official fix. It’s certainly not imperative to be running 10.7.3 at this instant.

• Is the Media Underestimating Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer?
• Is Apple Working on a Cloud Strategy? Signs Point to Yes
• TouchSmart 610: Has HP Taken Its Cue from Apple Patents?
• The Mac App Store: Who Wins, Who Loses In the Apple Channel?
• Apple And Oracle Team Up For OpenJDK

Riverbed, the company behind the Steelhead line of WAN optimization networking appliances, has simultaneously launched a series of enhancements to its Riverbed appliance and introduced a whole new product family, Granite, specifically designed for storage optimization. VARs hungry for optimal optimization might want to give Riverbed’s new offerings a look …

First up, Riverbed’s new Steelhead tools: The Steelhead CX and EX are two new products with a primary focus on evolving the xx50 series of Steelhead appliances. The Steelhead CX promises to “overcome bandwidth and geographic limitations,” for all sorts of data and application optimization. What’s more, Riverbed promises that although the CX is new and offers more capacity than its predecessors, it maintains the same total cost of ownership as past Steelhead appliances. The Steelhead EX, meanwhile,  provides more of the same, but it also includes upgraded RAM and CPUs and comes outfitted with SSDs, all to work in conjunction with its new cousin appliance, Granite.

What is Granite? Riverbed does an excellent job explaining it:

“[Granite is] a new architectural approach called edge virtual server infrastructure (edge-VSI) that does for edge servers what virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) did for desktops: it allows IT to consolidate and manage all edge servers in the data center. But unlike VDI, edge-VSI does this while delivering 20 (sic)-50% (sic) lower total cost of ownership (TCO).”

With Granite in place, an enterprise could consolidate its “edge applications, servers and storage data center,” according to Riverbed, but still provide its branch offices with an experience that feels as though the information and servers are completely local. In addition, Granite allows a server to be “decoupled” from its storage, meaning a server can perform as though its storage is locally based, while really, it could be far away in a branch location or at corporate headquarters. Riverbed stresses that “Edge-VSI is complementary to wide area network,” and that Granite could be ideal for WAN optimization situations that are nontraditional.

For branch and remote server consolidation, application acceleration, bandwidth maintenance concerns, or even just optimizing an existing infrastructure, Riverbed believes the new Steelhead appliances — when paired with Granite — can hit a home run. All three products are set to be available by the end of this quarter, which looks like Q1 2012 (since Riverbed just closed out its Q4 2011 quarter). No prices have been announced, yet.

• Riverbed Closes Out 2011 with Major Upgrade to RiOS
• Interop New York 2011: Virtualization, Optimization, Cloud
• Cisco Moves Deeper into WAN Optimization with WAAS Portfolio

The proliferation of cloud services, mobility on demand and Gigabit Ethernet has taxed data center environments to the point where many companies are experiencing serious drags on their network. But Cisco Systems is looking to “eliminate many of the choke points before they become choke points,” by adding 40GbE and 100GbE support to two of its most popular switches.

“Many of the new trends we’re seeing in computing are having a ripple effect across the entire IT landscape,” said Shashi Kiran, senior director of marketing for Cisco’s Data Center and Enterprise Switching Solutions. “10 Gigabit proliferation in particular is having an impact on the rest of environment.”

With that in mind, Cisco is adding 40GbE and 100GbE support to its Nexus switching platform and 40GE support to its Catalyst switching platform — two technologies popular with Cisco’s channel partners.

“Adding such capabilities really introduces new business opportunities in the data center,” said Wenceslao Lada, VP of Worldwide Channels, Cisco Borderless Network. Such opportunities not only enable partners to go deeper with new and existing customers as they upgrade their networks to accommodate increasingly bandwidth-hungry traffic, but also to add value-added services to their offerings and move more into solutions-selling, he said.

Being upgraded are the Catalyst 6500 campus network switch line, which will support 40GbE, and the Nexus 7000 data center switch  line, which will support both 40GbE and 100GbE.

Along with the new support, Cisco also announced Easy Virtual Network, technology that provides “simpler network virtualization functionality” for the Catalyst 6500 and 4500 and Aggregation Services Router 1000 line, according to the company. Also announced was a new Nexus 1010-X appliance for the data center, offering scalable virtual services.

“A lot of these megatrends are hitting the IT environment at the same time,” Kiran said. “[IT] can’t adopt a Band-Aid approach to fixing. Here at Cisco, we recognized we need to take a long-term view and see what we could do to address this convergence in a much more holistic way. A lot of our [product] roadmaps are coordinated so our global customers are able to address in as homogenous a way as possible.”

The enhancements to the Catalyst and Nexus switches are slated for availability in the second quarter/April 2012 timeframe.

• Polycom Continues Motorola Love with RealPresence Mobile
• F5 Networks Goes BIG-IP to Secure Android Ice Cream Sandwich
• Google Imposing GUI Restrictions on Android 4.0 Devices
• Why Cisco Killed Umi Home Telepresence and Videoconferencing
• Article Suggests Mismanagement Doomed WebOS from the Start

The channel ebbs and flows with a variety of partners and vendors, and some shine more than others. That’s why Syncsort is highlighting its partners that exemplify the company’s values. Which partners secured Syncsort’s coveted 2012 Partner of the Year award? The VAR Guy’s got you covered…

Syncsort, as a reminder, focuses on data integration protection solutions. When we last checked in with Syncsort it had partnered with NetApp for NetApp Syncsort Backup offering. Now, it’s the company’s partners that are in the spotlight, earning accolades for aligning themselves with all that Syncsort has to offer, including training, certification and more, according to Syncsort.

Those winners are as follows:

Data Integration

• Global Systems Integrator Partner of the Year: Cognizant
• ISV Partner of the Year: Clerity Solutions
• Reseller Partner of the Year: Amdocs

Data Protection

• Channel Partner of the Year: SwishData
• Channel Partner Rookie of the Year: Zumasys
• NSB Technical Innovator Award: Voyant Strategies

“All of the winners really stood out for possessing a strong commitment to customer success and representing the same core values that guide Syncsort’s participation in the marketplace,” so noted Josh Rogers, Syncsort’s VP of worldwide sales.

You might be asking our resident blogger, “What do Syncsort’s partner awards have to do with the rest of the channel?” The VAR Guy thinks it’s an important reminder that while specialization and differentiation are keys to building success, ensuring customer satisfaction is also part of driving continued business growth and existing business stickiness.

• Technology News: 9 Most Read Channel Partner Stories, Jan. 27
• This Week’s 9 Most Read Channel News Stories, Jan. 20
• No Pain, No Gain: The VAR Guy Does Boot Camp
• McAfee FOCUS 2011: More Partner Programs, Security Offerings
• Motorola Xoom Tablet: The Business Review

It’s a match made in unified communications (UC) heaven: ShoreTel announced it is acquiring hosted UC company M5 Networks. With two big UC companies merging their resources, what can we expect to get?  Quite a wedding. Check it out …

It’s official. They’re getting hitched. M5 Networks has signed a “definitive agreement” to be acquired by ShoreTel, enabling both to expand their global UC reach. With both on-premise and hosted UC solutions under the same roof, the combination offers an ever-expanding possibility for new and expanding customer relationships, along with deepened partner portfolios that blend the best of both worlds (much like the Sophos/Astaro acquisition).

M5′s assets also will allow ShoreTel to build out its existing technology solutions in the cloud and reach a new market of customers demanding hosted voice over IP communications. ShoreTel sees this as a blossoming of the UC-as-a-Service marketplace, and ShoreTel CEO Peter Blackmore in particular sees this as a natural progression. “This acquisition is a critical step in our evolution and enables the company to capitalize on trends in cloud computing and advance our enterprise communications strategy,” he said.

ShoreTel will operate M5 as a separate business unit, headed up by current M5 CEO Dan Hoffman, who will serve as president and general manger of the new M5 business unit and be tasked with providing “an intense focus on customer satisfaction.” Hoffman said he believes ShoreTel can help M5 Networks “reach our ambitions of scale and cement our position in the hosted UC marketplace.”

The entire acquisition is set to close in March 2012.

Be sure to check out ShoreTel’s other recent moves, including its partner program upgrade and new VMware Ready status.

• ShoreTel Revamps Partner Program with Focus on Relationships
• ShoreTel Enterprise Contact Center Now Virtual, VMware Ready
• ShoreTel Taps Ingram Micro to Distribute Its UC Portfolio
• ShoreTel Mobility Updated to Support Big 3 Mobile Platforms
• Latest ShoreTel Version Integrates UC into the Network

If you’re a Citrix partner itching for some big changes but aren’t sure of your next step, Citrix has that figured out for you. Introducing the Citrix Academy — much more than a partner portal.  Here’s what partners should know …

Citrix Academy has arrived and with it comes a smattering of new tools, training and technical resources for VARs to build Citrix virtualization solutions both up and out. Citrix Academy is a six-week training session that will enable VARs to understand the ins and outs of every key Citrix product and how it fits into the overall virtualization ecosystem. That means deploying technology, the best practices around that technology, and the technical capabilities of each solution. It’s a full education, so to speak. And once a channel partner graduates, he or she will have earned the Citrix Certified Integration Architect certification (CCIA), “the highest and most prestigious Citrix credential available,” according to Citrix.

Citrix “encourages” and recommends partners who have focused on Microsoft Active Directory, XenDesktop, XenServer and Citrix administration consider the program and check out all the details (including cost) over at CitrixAcademy.com. Currently, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and Santa Clara, Calif., are the only two Citrix Academy locations.

Partners who can’t commit to that length of time (or journey) can instead take advantage of one of the 120-or-so special one-day workshop events listed on the Partner Enablement Calendar for the Americas. The workshops will be held “in every major metro” in the Americas, according to Citrix, and range in topics from technical deep-dives to lead- and demand-generation.

Citrix promises Citrix Academy is “the first of many enablement resources,” the company has lined up for  2012, so stay tuned.

• Citrix’s New Channel Chief Details 3-Step Plan for Partners
• Citrix Launches SMB Specialization, VDI-in-a-Box Version 5
• BlueStacks Gets $14 Million Funding from AMD, Citrix, Others
• Citrix Partners with Cisco for Enhanced Virtual Desktops

CommVault, the company behind the Simpana storage management software, is announcing a slew of enhancements to its flagship product. These updates focus on reducing the cost and increasing the efficiency of data management and compliance requirements. I spoke to CommVault’s Jeff Echols, senior director of marketing, cloud strategies and alliances, about the new updates. Here are the details …

Short and sweet, here’s the list of enhancements:

• New Simpana OnePass: CommVault calls it an “industry first,” in which backup, archive and reporting have been merged; subsequently, the time needed to complete these tasks has been cut in half when compared to “traditional methods,” according to CommVault. This makes it easy for IT admins and VARs to get a lasso around what CommVault calls “too big” data systems.
• Simpana SnapProtect: Backup windows are a thing of the past with SnapProtect, which leverages hardware integration with SAN technology to provide super-fast recovery in “snapshot” form.
• New Simpana Edge Protection: Even if you’re outside the corporate network, mobile laptops (or desktops) now can be protected with reduplication technology. The ability for users to perform self-recovery from a web portal is now available, as is individual data management ability via iOS and Android.
• New Microsoft SharePoint Integration With Simpana 9: CommVault promises smaller backup windows and better overall performance.

Echols detailed a few other Simpana 9 features, including Microsoft Blob storage integration, VMware plug-ins for interacting with CommVault’s interface and Dell Lustre and HP IBRIX computability.

How does it all play into the channel? Echols said once partners and customers understand “the concept of a single converged process for backup, archiving and reporting” — wherein a user has to “touch data just once” — the demand for it will naturally follow. CommVault’s Simpana technology “is going to be much more prevalent as we go forward in time,” he said.

So why might a VAR pick CommVault over a competitor? Echols offered this factoid: “We’re the only data and information manager built from the ground up. We didn’t acquire anybody. All of our backup, archive and reporting share the same back end … same console. We have one one index that keeps track of all the information.” He added that MSPs looking to weigh the pros and cons of hosting storage solutions also may find considerable value in this unique Simpana approach.

If you want a deeper dive into Simpana technology, be sure to check out CommVault’s Simpana portal, or maybe more importantly, CommVault’s partner portal, here.

• Related posts are coming soon

Oracle President Mark Hurd and Channel Chief Judson Althoff are set to rally and educate 100 Oracle Specialized channel partners tomorrow at the company’s Redwood Shores, Calif., headquarters. The gathering, set for February 2, will include product roadmaps and strategies to help partners leverage Oracle as a partner growth engine. Here’s some insight from The VAR Guy.

The inaugural Oracle Partner Executive Summit is expected to focus on Oracle’s extensive hardware and software portfolio. Althoff is the official host… but President Mark Hurd is expected to share his vision as well, The VAR Guy has heard.

It sounds like there will be a special emphasis on the Oracle Exadata database machine as well as the Oracle Database Appliance. In fact, there’s chatter that some Oracle Exadata partners from outside North America could also be on hand for the event.

The event’s lineup apparently includes:

• Amit Zavery, VP of Fusion Middleware product management, covering cloud growth opportunities.
• John Fowler, executive VP of systems, offering hardware roadmaps.
• Robert Shrimp, group VP product marketing, covering Oracle Big Data Appliance and Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c.
• Ted Bereswill, senior VP of North America alliances and channels, covering recent partner wins involving BIAS Corp., Cintra and MapleSoft Group. It’s safe to expect Oracle Database Appliance perspectives from Bereswill and the partners, The VAR Guy believes.

Meanwhile, Oracle continues to build and expand the company’s Oracle PartnerNetwork Solutions Catalog. The web destination includes nearly 21,000 partner solutions for end-customers to explore, according to Lydia Smyers, Oracle VP of worldwide alliances and channel programs and communications.

Sure, most vendors offer websites that allow customers to search for partners. Yawn… Many of those web sites are nothing more than Google maps and partner URLs. In stark contrast, the Oracle PartnerNetwork Solutions Catalog goes the extra mile; the site is loaded with dynamic content that refreshes with partner-centric news, depending on which page or solution a customer researches.

Shifting gears, Oracle’s next quarterly earnings report is still several weeks away. EarningsWhispers.com says Oracle will likely announce its Q3 results on March 20, 2012. At that time, investors and partners will be watching to see if Oracle has jump-started hardware sales.

Distributors have told The VAR Guy that the Oracle Database Appliance, introduced in 2011, is off to a good start. But Oracle’s most recent quarterly results, announced in December 2011, included hardware and software sales figures that disappointed Wall Street.

Still, Oracle continues to bang a steady drum with its channel partners. Oracle put a brighter spotlight on its OPN Specialized partners during the 2011 Oracle OpenWorld conference. And this week, Oracle is set to host the inaugural Oracle Partner Executive Summit.

Memo to Oracle partners who are flocking to Redwood Shores this week: If you’re in the mood to leak information about the meeting, The VAR Guy (thevarguy [at] NineLivesMediaInc [dot] com) is all ears.

• Avnet Orders 100 Oracle Database Appliances; Begins ODA Sales
• Oracle OpenWorld: Oracle Seeks 5,000 New Partners
• Oracle President Mark Hurd Previews Oracle OpenWorld
• Oracle Claims Exadata, Exalogic & Exastack Will Beat HP
• Oracle Database Appliance: Linux System vs. SQL Server

More evidence is building that Google will likely use Motorola Mobility as its personal manufacturing arm, once the acquisition is complete. The latest clue is the rumor that Nikesh Arora, senior VP and chief business officer at Google, will eventually head up Motorola Mobility. If it’s true, such a move would be quite telling of Google’s plans.

A gracious tip of the hat goes to Business Insider, which spread details about the alleged “internal rumor.” According to Business Insider’s sources, Arora “is thought to have been ‘agitating’ for a CEO role,” and Google may offer him this position instead of losing him to Yahoo!. With Motorola already laying off a considerable amount of staff, a top-level shakeup after a completed acquisition is likely to go smoothly, playing nicely into my predicted agenda, in which Google uses Motorola Mobility to build uniquely sexy and new Google phones.

If Arora’s CEO appointment comes to pass, it’s worth wondering how fast Motorola Mobility will start building and producing pure-Google phones with hardware and software integration. I would set a target somewhere inside the first half of 2013. It’s also worth asking whether Google would proudly proclaim these phones were “built by Motorola Mobility” or try and hide that fact. Plus, the fate of many Motorola-branded items (Droid, Xyboard, etc.) is unknown. It may not be finically viable for Motorola to continue to build Motorola-brand phones alongside Google’s elite phones. But one thing is certain: it’s definitely not all about the patents. Will Google build the first true super-slick Android device that really outshines the iPhone? I’m hopeful, and I think it’ll be coming soon.

• Schmidt on Motorola Mobility’s Future: Google Won’t Be Evil

ownCloud, Inc., which went commercial fewer than two months ago, may be young, but it’s already pumping out innovative new features for the ownCloud open source framework, including some interesting potential revenue streams. Here’s a look at the latest updates in version 3, out this week.

Since 2010, ownCloud has existed as an open source project for developing cloud-based storage infrastructure. But the commercial component, announced late 2011 with former SUSE exec Markus Rex serving as CEO and CTO, added a new direction.

This week, the commercial side of ownCloud gained focus with the release of version 3.0 of the ownCloud software. The new release introduces several innovative new features, including:

• Editing of cloud-hosted text files via the browser. Support for other types of documents, such as .docx and ODT, is promised in future releases.
• Application Store for installing third-party applications and add-ons. As of today there are only three apps available, but it seems logical to assume ownCloud plans to develop this repository as a revenue stream.
• Photo-gallery application. The open source world may finally have a real answer to flickr.

Other new functionality, as well as enhancements engineered by the ownCloud community, are detailed in the press release.

Several of the features listed above are novel not just to ownCloud, but also to the world of open source cloud software as a whole. No other open source project — and perhaps no organization in the proprietary ecosystem, either — is bringing innovation to the cloud as rapidly as ownCloud.

Nor is any other project so quickly expanding the functionality of cloud-based infrastructures beyond the basics of cloud-based file storage à la Dropbox. ownCloud is now about much more than just hosting files — it’s building a complete set of tools for accessing and managing data without ever leaving the cloud.

Of course, ownCloud, Inc. remains very young, and the open source code on which it’s founded also hasn’t been around for too long. Whether both ventures will succeed in the long run remains to be seen. But they certainly appear to be off to a great start, and the open source channel is better off because of it.

• ownCloud Open Source Storage Launches Commercial Entity
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Avnet continues to expand its presence through acquisitions, and this time, the distributor has scooped up IT hardware, services and lifecycle management company Canvas Systems. How will Canvas System’s augment Avnet’s offerings? Read on for the details.

If you’re experiencing déjà vu, it’s completely normal. In December 2011 Avnet acquired Nexicore, which offers aftermarket technology services with a focus on electronic repair. Avnet is expanding that branch of “recycling” technology with the Canvas Systems acquisition. Canvas Systems focuses on “services that span the IT lifecycle,” which simply means it can help users make the most of their existing hardware. The company provides risk assessment, ensuring customers can migrate, upgrade or “refresh their data center infrastructure,” at as little cost and with as few problems as possible.

While Nexicore has become part of Avnet’s Integrated Resources, Canvas Systems will fall under Avnet’s Technology Solutions arm. Avnet plans on using Canvas Systems’ resources to build out “best in class solutions that help our business partners,” said Jeff Bawol, president of Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas. Canvas Systems will be immediately accretive to Avnet’s earnings, but Avnet did not publish how much it will lay out to acquire Canvas Systems. However, Canvas Systems raked in nearly $122 million in its fiscal year 2011.

The trend in recycling and repairing technology is interesting, especially amid virtualization, cloud and mobile device management (MDM). If services such as those offered by Canvas Systems continue to proliferate, more customers could look to buy thin clients or mobile devices to fulfill employee work needs. Refreshing old PCs might just be “good enough.” We’ll keep a close eye as MDM continues in 2012.

• Avnet Acquires ROUND2 to Enhance After-Market Services
• Distribution Roundup: Avnet, Ingram Micro Add on Services
• Avnet Snapping up Repair Services Provider Nexicore
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Ever since former Apple employee Ron Johnson set off on a new journey to revitalize J.C. Penney in November 2011, Apple has been searching for a new retail vice president. But the search is over: On Jan. 30, 2012, Apple appointed John Browett to head up Apple’s retail division, and it’s likely a very smart move. Here’s why Browett could be perfect for the position …

Quick refresher: According to Apple’s announcement, John Browett formally “held a series of executive positions at Tesco plc, including CEO of Tesco.com.” If you’re unfamiliar with Browett or Tesco, never fear, you’re simply American. Tesco is one of the larger chains of companies across the United Kingdom and Europe, with a focus on both grocery and other general goods merchandise. So how will that kind of retail experience mesh with Apple’s existing svelte computer stores? Apple CEO Tim Cook believes Browett will bring a hearty helping of customer service know-how “like no one else we’ve met.” In April 2012, Browett will assume his role, a priority of which is continuing to grow Apple stores globally.

Here’s something worth thinking about: According to Apple’s record-breaking Q1 2012 financial results, a whopping 58 percent of Apple’s sales were attributed to international consumption. But while Apple has had rousing success with its U.S.-based retail locations and obvious success with existing stores overseas, a more “European” outlook on the retail world would be useful and even beneficial as Apple continues to expand its presence in other countries.

While Apple’s core and core product family likely will remain small, I have a feeling Apple is on the cusp of even more explosive growth, which could change the way people view the company — especially taken with some of the subtler company attitude changes Cook has implemented.

• Is the iPhone Once Again Slated for a Summer 2012 Release?
• Apple: Best Quarter Ever, Ever, Ever for iPad, iPhone, Mac?
• Siri Rivals Abound, But is Evi a Victim of Its Own Success?
• RIM Apoints New CEO But Signals No Big Changes in Strategy
• Is the Media Underestimating Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer?

A wireless network is only as good as its strongest connection, and if you plan on deploying serious mobile device management (MDM) solutions, the wireless network infrastructure should be top of mind. And it is for Astaro, which is why the company is launching the Astaro AP50 5GHz dual-band wireless access point (AP). Fresh tech specs and channel implications, coming right up …

The Astaro AP50 supports traditional 2.4GHz wireless connections and now also fully supports the new 5GHz spectrum, which according to Astaro, “is virtually impervious to radio interference.” While the 5GHz connections also promise faster speed and greater reliability, understanding the frequency distinction is also key to building out a successful wireless network. According to Astaro, using the 5GHz connection for something mission-critical such as voice over IP will ensure top-quality connections, while less-critical tasks can be “downgraded” to use a 2.4GHz connection, ensuring the 5GHz consistently provides a high-quality experience.

VARs working in the MDM space, or simply building out wireless infrastructure, could move less-critical mobile devices to the 2.4GHz connection, while C-level executives or employees with mobile communication needs could ride the 5GHz wave. Or devices requiring video collaboration could run on 5GHz, while the 2.4GHz runs audio only.

The AP50 comes outfitted with a Gigabit Ethernet connection, and allows for two detachable antennas. Each AP supports “at least up to 50 users,” according to Astaro, and can maintain “data rates up to 300 Mbps under best connections.” The AP50 also supports power over Ethernet, so powering these units should be relatively easy.

If you’re ready to add the AP50 to your arsenal of wireless weaponry, check out Astaro’s access point portal.

• Forrester: One-Fifth of Enterprise Employees Use Apple
• Doubt the MDM Trend? Cisco’s Global Survey Says Don’t
• Aruba Networks Unveils Wireless Solutions Aimed at POS Space
• IDG Connect Survey: iPads Starting to Usurp Business Laptops
• MDM in Healthcare Represents Big Opportunity for the Channel

D-Link’s VIP Partner Program now stands for more more than “Value in Partnership,” as D-Link has overhauled the program and upgraded it to VIP+ status. With it comes a new partner portal, new training and streamlined operations with D-Link. I spoke to Steve Ryan, D-Link’s director of North American Channel Programs, about the big changes. Read on for the details …

Ryan called the changes to the VIP Partner Program “major enhancements,” and it’s a fair assessment. D-Link’s first improvement was ensuring partners get at D-Link’s portfolio as quickly and easily as possible. That’s why the partner portal was completely redesigned for a more streamlined, almost “shopping-like” experience. The redesign, he said, allows VARs “access to what they need in one or two clicks, making sure they can get in and out … and do it in a more visually appealing way.”

Also, he said, D-Link “changed out the back-end,” and added a new easy claims process. All a VAR needs to do is punch in an invoice number, add the product and quantity of each item sold, and D-Link’s system will automatically link the claim. Partners also now receive reloadable Visa cards for rebates, rewards and more.

In addition, partners gain access to a new campaign tool designed to help VARs build out customized marketing campaign materials that can include the partner’s logo. There’s also a CRM tool available for partners. And, Ryan said, all of it is free of charge.

The whole thing launches Feb. 7, 2012, but the program overhaul has been in the works for a while. “We’ve been working on it since about June 2011, with most of the work done in October. [Now] we’re building it out and having it ready [for the launch],” which in Europe will be about three weeks after the North American launch, Ryan said.

Ryan also spoke about the partner program in general, including D-Link’s promise to offer margin-rich technology “with lots of profitability built-in.” He also mentioned D-Link’s bounty program. which he explained thusly:

“When partners register a deal with D-Link, if they lose the deal to a competitor, we’ll still pay them up to 3 percent of the MSRP value of the deal, though there’s some conditions. If they bring us into a deal early, [we're confident] we’ll win it together. It’s something no other networking manufacturer does [and] we’re proud of it.”

Bottom line for D-Link and Ryan? “We’re very much focusing on the ease of doing business. We’re going to continue to talk to our partners, gather feedback and prioritize based on what partners are telling us.” He added that D-Link is looking to “continually evolve” as channel partners needs change over time.

Ready to sign up? Check out D-Link’s partner portal here.

• D-Link Adds New Cameras to IP Surveillance Portfolio
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VMTurbo has gone from startup to big-time virtualization player over the last year, and now the company has launched VMTurbo Operations Manager 3.0, representing a maturation of its flagship product with enhanced operational features. The VAR Guy spoke to Derek Slayton, VP of marketing, and Bernie Hannon, director of channel sales, about the new announcement. Here’s what VARs should know …

First, a refresher: VMTurbo’s Operations Manager is a downloadable virtual appliance that can be deployed in minutes and offers vendor-agnostic virtualization management capabilities. There’s even a free version available.

Now, VMTurbo Operations Manager 3.0 offers:

• vCLoud Director Integration: For managing cloud operations and tweaking resources for optimal performance.
• Mulit-hypervisor Management: Platform-agnostic integration has been expanded, making VMTurbo’s Operations Manager compatible with all three major virtualization platforms, Microsoft Hyper-V, VMware vSphere and Citrix XenServer. Visibility into complex virtualization environments now can be done at a glance.
• Application Awareness: Now IT admins or VARs can get information not just about a VM, but also the Windows applications running inside of them. This allows VM resources to be tweaked automatically, according to application need. Although no time frame was given, Slayton noted Linux and Java applications are on deck for the same application-awareness integration.
• Predicative Capacity Planning: VMTurbo Operations Manager now can determine automatically what kind of resources a VM needs based solely on the “workload performance characteristics.” VMTurbo believes this also can help IT admins make educated decisions about the kind of upgrades needed in the future.

So what about the channel? Slayton told our resident blogger that VMTurbo has been focusing on the channel “… more aggressively over the last couple months with Bernie [Hannon] joining,” which is good news, because Hannon is no stranger to the channel. A quick look at his LinkedIn profile shows a long history of channel management, most recently with Citrix before joining VMTurbo. (This represents the second Citrix brass to join VMTurbo, after CEO Lou Shipley took the reins in August 2011.)

More importantly, VMTurbo, which once sold direct, now focuses heavily in the channel. Hannon noted training, partner perks, portal-based registration and other services have made VMTurbo attractive to partners, but the virtual appliance software is what VARs really love. “It appeals as a management tool to a type of partner in the marketplace that has multiple business models,” said Hannon, adding that VARs selling virtual infrastructure also would find a lot of value in VMTurbo’s product for themselves.

But The VAR Guy is all about looking ahead, so what will VMTurbo offer its channel partners to make them want to stick around? Slayton said VMTurbo offers a better value for the cost, and as virtualization technology matures, 2012 is shaping up to be “the year for automation.”  Plus, he said, VMTurbo can get  ”[VARs] out of that day-to-day firefighting,” and focus on more important things.

If want to get automated, you can download the virtual appliance today and start it up.

• VMTurbo Adds to Coffers with $10 Million in B-Round Funding
• VMTurbo Adds Global Partners to Expand Footprint Beyond U.S.