Articles By Jim Roddy

  1. From ASCII Atlantic City: Top 5 Tech Trends Of 2014 10/23/2014

    One of the reasons I enjoy attending channel conferences is the opportunity to hear from a variety of perspectives. You think you’ve heard every angle on our industry, but then someone explains their perspective and you think about the IT channel in a different way.

  2. From ASCII Atlantic City: 5 Marketing Tidbits For Solutions Providers 10/23/2014

    I was thrilled when I saw that Herman Pool was scheduled to present at the ASCII Success Summit in Atlantic City on October 22. I have previously described him as “a whirling dervish and marketing master on stage” and he didn’t disappoint, delivering sound advice to the nearly 100 solutions providers in attendance at Bally’s Atlantic City.

  3. From ASCII Atlantic City: Winning The War On Data Breaches 10/23/2014

    You know how speakers at a conference are supposed to lift you up and give you — and hopefully your business — a boost of energy? Well, Billy Austin, the president and co-founder of iScan Online, made the nearly 100 solutions providers at the ASCII Success Summit shudder shortly after he took the stage Wednesday afternoon.

  4. From ASCII Atlantic City: When Hiring, VARs Should Hold Out For Character 10/22/2014

    I have greatly valued the partnership between Business Solutions and The ASCII Group, so I was doubly honored when they asked me to kick off their final Success Summit of 2014 in Atlantic City today. Hire Like You Just Beat Cancer was the name of my ASCII presentation and is the title of a book I published in 2012, in part to celebrate my 10 years of being cancer-free.

  5. Top Quotes From Archie Manning's VARTECH Keynote 9/22/2014

    Archie Manning is best known for his football prowess and the success of his NFL quarterback sons Peyton and Eli. But he proved today during his keynote speech at VARTECH 2014, the annual conference hosted by value-added distributor BlueStar, he knows something about teamwork and leading an organization. Manning spoke to an estimated crowd of more than 1,000 channel executives Friday morning at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans.

  6. Janam CEO Lerner Details New Mini-Tablet At VARTECH 9/22/2014

    One of the more interesting products I saw last week at VARTECH, the annual conference hosted by value-added distributor BlueStar, was Janam’s XT1 Rugged Mini-Tablet. Company CEO and co-founder Harry Lerner discussed it during a wireless breakout session at the show, and then I met with him near the busy Janam booth on the CodeZone expo floor.

  7. Toshiba TEC's Lee Highlights Two Printers At VARTECH 9/22/2014

    Toshiba TEC showcased two printers — including one that has yet to be released — last week at VARTECH, the annual conference hosted by value-added distributor BlueStar. I met with Theresa Lee, the product manager of Toshiba’s Electronic Imaging Division, during the VARTECH CodeZone expo to receive more details on the products.

  8. VARTECH: Live Polls Offer Insight On Biggest Reseller Challenges, Shrinking Margins 9/19/2014

    Solutions providers attending VARTECH 2014, the annual conference hosted by value-added distributor BlueStar, participated in two interesting live polls during a partner meeting Thursday afternoon at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans. Resellers used their smartphones to submit their responses via text, Twitter, or a web page, and the results were posted on a giant screen as they were received.

  9. BlueStar Executives Reveal Channel Trends At VARTECH 9/19/2014

    I appreciated that BlueStar executives cut to the chase during their regional update meeting with a few hundred U.S.-based VAR partners Thursday afternoon at their annual VARTECH conference in New Orleans. So I’ll cut to the chase and get right to some of their most insightful statistics and quotes.

  10. VARTECH 2014: 9 Social Media Tips For VARs 9/18/2014

    Do you recall the 1939 version of The Wizard Of Oz when a fearful Dorothy, played by Judy Garland, exclaims, “Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!”? Today, solutions providers — especially those old enough to remember the 1939 version of The Wizard Of Oz — are saying “Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn, oh my!” as they face an avalanche of social media options.