One of my favorite parts of any trade show or conference I attend is to hear what the keynote speaker has to say about the most important trends they’re seeing in the channel, as well as hearing their advice to the VARs and MSPs in attendance about capitalizing on those trends.  Continue Reading..

I'm going to give you a sneak preview of a feature article in next month's issue of Business Solutions because the VAR we highlight is doing some great stuff that's really impacting his business. The VAR is Andrew Strickler and his company is Tampa Bay POS. We featured Andrew in our magazine back in 2007.  Continue Reading..

In the world of physical security, cloud-based surveillance is in its infancy. This, for two primary reasons: First, technology is just coming around to enable cost-effective and high-functioning solutions. Second, traditional security dealers have been slow to adopt IP cameras, let alone the cloud.   Continue Reading..

While attending the recent GFI Conference in New Orleans, I had the opportunity to talk to several VARs and MSPs. One trend I'm hearing a lot about has to do with Microsoft discontinuing support for its SBS (Small Business Server), starting in November of this year (which they announced back in July).  Continue Reading..

If you've attended any of the recently-held trade shows and partner conferences, or have been following this blog or our magazine for any length of time, you'll know that the notion of adopting a more services-centric business model is all the rage.  Continue Reading..

One of the challenges I often hear about from retail IT VARs regarding switching to a managed services model is coping with the way money flows into their company. Many of you are used to getting large lump sums of money for your work as opposed to the smaller steady stream associated with recurring revenue models. The large lump sum might help in the short term and actually be a necessity to keep your business afloat, but a steady...  Continue Reading..

If there's one thing I think we can all agree about cloud computing, it's the fact that it's become a catch-all household term that's used to describe everything from the disaster recovery component of your backup strategy to the place where your MP3s are stored. Analyst group ESG released a market report, titled "Cloud-integrated Storage: Defining and Explaining a New Approach for SMB and Enterprise Storage." The...  Continue Reading..

During the course of my daily job duties, I speak with VARs about technology trends and opportunities that exist in the marketplace. Additionally, the rest of the Business Solutions team makes lots of outbound calls, first, to make sure you want to receive the magazine, and second, to learn more about trends and what issues you like reading about.  Continue Reading..

I mentioned in a previous blog that Business Solutions is planning to feature a new type of editorial beginning with our January 2013 issue: product tests. I'm happy to report that things are underway, and we're starting to plan our first test, which will focus on RMM (remote monitoring and management) products. With the help of an MSP (who we'll reveal later), we'll be comparing several RMM products.  Continue Reading..

If you're a retail IT provider, you've probably heard about the PCI Security Standards Council's (PCISSC) new QIR (Qualified Integrators and Resellers) program, which involves training and certification to ensure you're able to install payment applications "in a manner that facilitates PCI DSS compliance."  Continue Reading..