AppRiver and partners discuss advantages, disadvantages of Microsoft Office 365 two-tier distribution model

Channel partners seek to take advantage of Microsoft Windows 10 opportunities in upgrades, project services and managed services

A top Dynamics CRM Online partner has spun out a new business, which aims to enable other partners with a CRM deployment methodology.

After debuting a controversial program to provide free email migration services last July, Microsoft is now upping the ante by expanding that to include its cloud mobility suite.

New service aims to address profitability awareness

Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference focused on the ongoing transition of its channel allies to the Redmond Company's mobile and cloud offerings.

I began my ninth day as Channel Chief at Intel Security by connecting with many partners for the first time in our quarterly global partner webcast. These partner discussions and my meetings with Intel leadership this past week underline a perfect storm of opportunity for our partners: a brutal modern threat environment, customer requirements for […] The post The Perfect Storm of Opportunity appeared first on McAfee.

For the past 30 years, most B2B channel professionals have thought of their channel as a sales channel. Indeed, in the "good old days," the standard operating procedure equated to the B2B manufacturer/vendor doing the marketing, the channel partner the selling. But times have changed. The 5-person "box-pusher" channel partner model of the past has, for the most part, gone the way of the dinosaurs. Today's successful channel companies are diverse, vibrant business engines, firing on many cylinders, including innovative value-added services, managed services, business consulting, eCommerce, billing aggregation, and marketing. Today's channel is much more than a sales channel; it's a marketing, sales, delivery, and support channel. The majority of channel partners now employ their own professional marketers and marketing programs - which can be a good thing or a bad thing. Left unchecked, channel partners' marketing efforts can ignore, dilute, confuse, or (worse!) damage a tech vendor's brand. Leveraged, channel partners' relatively newfound marketing prowess represents a powerful amplifier for tech vendors to extend their marketing reach. At Cisco's Marketing Velocity event this spring, many Cisco channel partners evidenced a marketing aptitude for digital customer engagement that rivals that of many tech vendors.Read more

This IDC study looks at many interesting topics about the tremendous success of SADA Systems. At the June 3, 2015, IDC Software Channel Leadership Council in San Mateo, California, Program Vice President, IDC's Channels and Alliances Research, Darren Bibby, interviewed Tony Safoian, CEO of 120-employee solution provider SADA Systems. SADA is a highly successful business partner of both Microsoft and Google. This interview delves into the differences between working with the two companies, as well as many of SADA's biggest changes it has had to make in moving to the cloud, plus some highly insightful ideas as to how to best run a growing and successful IT solution provider."Tony Safoian has built SADA Systems into an award-winning partner of both an old guard software vendor in Microsoft and a new guard vendor in Google. But somehow, he has made it work out on all fronts. He has a great story," says Darren Bibby, program vice president, IDC's Channels and Alliances Research.

Microsoft has signed a landmark agreement with NATO to address the rising need of protection against cybersecurity threats for governments throughout the world. Read more...

Dell, as an organisation, is on a transformational journey at the moment and the channel route is the main way it intends on penetrating the market, according to its A/NZ channel and alliances general manager, Geoff Wright.

Al Goldstein, co-founder of Avant, says that hiring the right people is always a challenge--but they're the ones who will advance your company.

With the recent controversy over Amazon’s workplace culture, it’s clear that hiring the right candidate can make or break a business — and the employee. Recruiting top talent has always been a priority for most organizations, but in today’s talent war, it’s getting fierce. Our September Upload Campaign focuses … Read More..

I just wrote a post suggesting Amazon doesn’t have a culture problem; it has a hiring problem. The idea being that a company’s culture is not defined by its people but by its competition, its environment and its inability to hire the right people. Given this, you need to hire people who fit and work within the real culture, not the imaginary one described by the utopians in HR. Define Your Real Culture by Considering These 12 Drivers 1. The CEO sets the tone: Consider Ford, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Jobs, Cook, Bezos, Page, Ellison, Gates and all of the other CEOs […]

Hire Right For the Most Important Position at Your Company

Where a product launches heavily influences its success, making understanding each channel’s unique rules and protocols essential to determine the best outlet for a new product, Ian Kelleher, director of strategic channels at Peeled Snacks told attendees at the Summer Fancy Food Show. 

As part of the Top 100 Executives of 2015, CRN looks at 25 channel sales executives that really stood out as they worked to bring success to their partners.

For the past 30 years, most B2B channel professionals have thought of their channel as a sales channel. Indeed, in the "good old days," the standard operating procedure equated to the B2B manufacturer/vendor doing the marketing, the channel partner the selling. But times have changed. The 5-person "box-pusher" channel partner model of the past has, for the most part, gone the way of the dinosaurs. Today's successful channel companies are diverse, vibrant business engines, firing on many cylinders, including innovative value-added services, managed services, business consulting, eCommerce, billing aggregation, and marketing. Today's channel is much more than a sales channel; it's a marketing, sales, delivery, and support channel. The majority of channel partners now employ their own professional marketers and marketing programs - which can be a good thing or a bad thing. Left unchecked, channel partners' marketing efforts can ignore, dilute, confuse, or (worse!) damage a tech vendor's brand. Leveraged, channel partners' relatively newfound marketing prowess represents a powerful amplifier for tech vendors to extend their marketing reach. At Cisco's Marketing Velocity event this spring, many Cisco channel partners evidenced a marketing aptitude for digital customer engagement that rivals that of many tech vendors.Read more

Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference focused on the ongoing transition of its channel allies to the Redmond Company's mobile and cloud offerings.

I began my ninth day as Channel Chief at Intel Security by connecting with many partners for the first time in our quarterly global partner webcast. These partner discussions and my meetings with Intel leadership this past week underline a perfect storm of opportunity for our partners: a brutal modern threat environment, customer requirements for […] The post The Perfect Storm of Opportunity appeared first on McAfee.