The Business Solutions Network

In my time with Business Solutions, I don’t think I've come across such an interesting topic as EMV. The card brands and vendors in the payments world will tell you how important EMV is, while VARs and ISVs scratch their heads over the lack of direction or clarity around the initiative. Many vendors claim to have easy and affordable solutions to become EMV certified, while a large number of VARs and ISVs still claim to be in the...  Continue Reading..

Today we held a preview Webinar for our upcoming Retail IT VAR of the Future event (May 12-13 in Las Vegas). During the presentation, we outlined the education that was planned for the two-day event. In addition, we had one of our conference speakers, Randy Roe, founder and president of Retail Technology Services, on the Webinar to share some specifics about his company’s success selling customer experience solutions to retailers.  Continue Reading..

When I set out to write our March issue’s special report on industry consolidation, I had no idea we’d have so many real world examples to talk about so soon. Well, that’s not true exactly. Heartland’s recent acquisition of Dinerware and pcAmerica was the industry’s worst kept secret. Still, the rumors were floating around for so long, I began to wonder if it would ever happen. Of course, on Feb. 13 it did happen...  Continue Reading..

The recent cyber-attack on healthcare insurance giant Anthem (up to 80 million names, SSNs, birthdays, email address, etc.) has made me realize that, if you’re a VAR or MSP and you’re not pitching security solutions, you’re missing a huge opportunity. The volume of attacks and media attention is practically doing your marketing for you. The fear of a breach, or resulting lawsuit, is enough to get a conversation started. All...  Continue Reading..

Today I began crunching the data from a Business Solutions reader survey on the topic of consolidation, mergers, and acquisitions in the channel. The special report will appear in our March issue. Let me tell you right now, we received some great feedback in the survey. Without spoiling the entire report, I did want to share a couple trends I’m seeing immediately.  Continue Reading..

For literally years now, I’ve been harping on a few key things I believe would make in a difference in a solutions providers business. These recommendations center on getting close to your business — whether it’s measuring your financials, monitoring your business’ key performance indicators, or planning for the future. Today, I have evidence that these things can make a marked difference in revenue.  Continue Reading..