Editor's Notebook

  1. Ingram Micro VTN: Healthcare Is More Than Just A Fad 4/26/2011
    By Gennifer Biggs, security, storage, and managed services editor
    While attending the Ingram Micro VTN Invitational in Chicago earlier this month, I had a great conversation about the future of healthcare IT (HIT) with Mike Humke, senior director of business development in the healthcare and vertical markets for Ingram Micro.
  2. A Map Into The Private Cloud 4/18/2011
    By Gennifer Biggs, security, storage, and managed services editor
    So with all the talk about cloud, two tactical truths seem to have floated to the top. One, companies of all sizes will find great value in the cloud, but they will start in far different places on their path. For SMBs and smaller midmarket organizations, both hybrid and public cloud endeavors will be popular. For large enterprise businesses, it is quite likely that private cloud is the better option.
  3. Kicking Yourself For Bad Hires? Check Out This Advice 4/18/2011
    By Gennifer Biggs, security, storage, and managed services editor
    If you’ve ever had the experience of meeting and talking to Alex Rogers, the founder of ARRC Technology and CharTec, you know he has strong opinions (and a great sense of humor). So when I heard he had penned a white paper on hiring sales team members, I knew I had to read it.
  4. Ingram Micro VTN: What's The Future Hold 4/15/2011
    By Gennifer Biggs, security, storage, and managed services editor
    On the last day of the Ingram Micro Spring VTN Invitational, held April 10-12 in Chicago, I sat down with John Fago, senior director of channel marketing for Ingram Micro, Huy Nguyen, director of channel programs at Ingram Micro, and Rita Baiana, senior manager of partner communities at Ingram Micro, to discuss what they hope VTN members will take away from this week’s event. The message was clear: Ingram Micro expects much from this community, and they intend to return the members’ loyalty and dedication tenfold.
  5. Ingram Micro VTN: What's The Strategy For Cloud? 4/14/2011
    By Gennifer Biggs, security, storage, and managed services editor
    There has been no shortage of cloud talk at the spring Ingram Micro VTN Invitation in Chicago. (OK, we may have gotten through the Sunday night kickoff reception without any talk of cloud, but that is about it …) On Monday, April 11, the topic was covered by IBM, HP, and Gartner. Ingram Micro’s Renee Bergeron, VP of Managed Services and Cloud, tackled the specifics of Ingram Micro’s cloud strategy, and did so with lighthearted humor.
  6. Ingram Micro VTN: State Of The Market 4/12/2011
    By Gennifer Biggs, security, storage, and managed services editor
    One of my favorite presentations at the Ingram Micro VTN Invitational events is the State of the Market from Gartner analyst Tiffani Bova. How she manages to pack so much information into a 20-minute talk is a constant wonder to me, and I'll do my best to share the best of her presentation with you here.
  7. Ingram Micro VTN: Overcast With Cloud 4/12/2011
    By Gennifer Biggs, security, storage, and managed services editor
    If you followed the news out of last month’s Cisco partner event in New Orleans, you won’t be surprised that the message from that long-time Ingram Micro partner was all about cloud. Ralph Nimergood, VP of worldwide channels for data center, virtualization, and cloud go-to-market for Cisco (no, I didn’t make that title up … ) talked almost exclusively about Cisco’s cloud strategy when he took the stage at the Ingram Micro VTN Invitational in Chicago on Monday, April 11.
  8. Ingram Micro VTN: What's 2011 Going To Bring? 4/11/2011
    By Gennifer Biggs, security, storage, and managed services editor
    The theme of this week's Ingram Micro VTN Invitational in Chicago is simple: The Future Is Ours. CEO of Ingram Micro Greg Spierkel expounded on that theme for the nearly 700 VTN attendees on Monday morning, April 11, as part of his welcome speech.
  9. The Amazing Race To Help Others 4/11/2011
    By Gennifer Biggs, security, storage, and managed services editor
    The Ingram Micro VTN Invitational kicked off late Sunday evening, April 10, in Chicago with a reminder about how lucky most of the attendees are.
  10. 5 Tips For MSPs: What Cloud Services Are In Demand By SMBs 4/8/2011
    By Gennifer Biggs, security, storage, and managed services editor
    With all the buzz about cloud rolling over into 2011, it seems one of the biggest questions out there is where and how to sell cloud solutions to the SMB market, a common target for MSPs. Experts at OS33, a cloud-based IT-as-a-Service platform for MSPs, offer these 5 tips to help MSPs demonstrate the value of cloud-based IT offerings to SMBs.