Blogs | Channel Tech Center

Security: The New Cost of Networking

Security has become a cost of networking. Whereas security was once considered a completely separate discipline, it’s becoming increasingly clear that vendors are responding to customer demands for a more integrated approach. Evidence of this convergence abounds. Security software vendors are lined up to port their wares to network infrastructure platforms from companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Juniper Networks and F5 Networks. The latest example is the coupling of the Firemon firewall and network... Read→

Taking Channel Marketing Up a Web 2.0 Level

If solution providers wait for vendors to figure out that there are more sophisticated ways to market solutions using Web 2.0 technologies, we may well be on to Web 4.0 before the channel see any actual benefits. A good example of how Web 2.0 platforms can be used in the channel comes in the form of a Web service from BrainShark. Dubbed the Brainshark Channel Solution, this multimedia platform makes it relatively simple for a vendor to extend “widgets” and other modules from the Brainshark service... Read→

VMWare to buy Zimbra from Yahoo?

One of my favorite pieces of software is from Zimbra (or Yahoo! Zimbra as they call it in some circles), a company that offers a mixture of open source and commercial email products. Zimbra’s desktop is one of my favorite open source products available today- with it I can access my email and schedules from a number of providers, ranging from Gmail to Yahoo Mail to most any POP3/IMAP mail system. I use Zimbra all of the time to access my Gmail based email accounts and to manage my calendars, the... Read→

Will Cablevision’s Actions Push Internet TV?

Cablevision’s customer forums are abuzz with complaints against the company and threats to drop Cablevision’s services – all relating to Cablevision’s decision to drop HGTV and the FoodNetwork – two very popular cable channels with unique content. Cablevision blames a contract dispute with Scripps Networks as the root cause of dropping Scripps Networks’ HGTV and The FoodNetwork channels, yet the whole situation stinks of corporate greed and the need to maximize profits at the expense... Read→

Cat’s Out of the Bag on Googles Nexus One Android Phone; Now Show Us the Spirit of Open Source!

Over the weekend the news about Google’s direct marketed phone, the Nexus One, has been released. Apparently Google has released the phone into the capable hands of their employee base (who quickly started tweeting about the phone’s awesomeness) in order to review the custom made (Android based) software that will run the phone. The phone will break typical US conventions and ship as an unlocked GSM phone, which is compatible with T-Mobile and Possibly AT&T – who will need to find a a... Read→

How Does AT&T’s Penalties Fall Out on the Channel Landscape?

AT&T is experimenting with the idea of giving users “incentives” to reduce their data usage. They claim that only 3% of smart phone users are data hogs, but from my experience and an observation made in many other blogs, every one I know that has a smart phone (iPhones in particular) “over uses” the phone to stream music, watch videos, and even VPN into their desktops at work. But, can you blame them – they do have a contract plan for unlimited data. Given the poor decision making that... Read→