Pedro Pereira

A year ago, the typical VAR would require a fair amount of explanation and persuasion when being pitched on the merits of managed services. Not anymore, said Peter Sandiford, CEO of LPI Level Platforms Inc., an Ottawa-based provider of managed-services software for VARs and system integrators. “Everybody gets it,” Sandiford said. “When we entered the […]

When it comes to security, danger lurks everywhere. threats come in the form of garden-variety viruses, worms and spam, as well as more sophisticated forms of intrusion such as spyware and hacking. But thats not all. IT security these days also requires formulating strict data access policies to comply with federal regulations to protect sensitive […]

Lets say youre out shopping for a new car. Youve got your eye on a speedy roadster, or maybe youre thirsting for the brute volume of an SUV. You visit the dealer, take a test drive, fill out some papers, and decide to wait a week or two before making a decision. The next day, […]

Wherever in the world distributor Ingram Micro Inc. does business, so can processor maker Advanced Micro Devices Inc. The companies just entered a rare global partnership under which Santa Ana, Calif.-based Ingram Micro has authorization to sell AMD processors across its global distribution infrastructure. Typically, distributor/vendor contracts cover only specific regions. For Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD, […]

VARs and small integrators are always on the lookout for steady sources of revenue as product margins shrink and competition from online retailers and direct-selling vendors intensifies. For many, the opportunity for a recurring revenue stream comes in the form of managed services. That is why many VARs and small integrators are shifting at least […]

Satellite radio use has increased to an estimated 5 million subscribers, and some say that number will top 8 million by years end. If that happens, adoption of the service will surpass the speed with which cell phones took off. Consider this for a moment: Users are rushing to pay for a service—radio—that has been […]

Distributor Ingram Micro Inc. said Monday it is laying off 550 employees and outsourcing most of those positions overseas in a move to increase operating efficiencies and consolidate some business functions. The Santa Ana, Calif., company, the worlds largest IT distributor, released a statement that predicts the moves will produce savings of $10 million this […]

Dell has pulled the plug on a program to sell unbranded desktop PCs through channel partners. The company said customers prefer to buy the Dell brand. But channel sources interviewed by The Channel Insider said Dell Inc. had trouble signing up VARs for the program, which kicked off in August 2002, because they dont trust […]

Microsoft Corp. is developing a channel program targeting some of the smallest companies in the SMB (small and midsize business) space. The vendor is not going into the details of the program at this point, but a spokeswoman said an announcement is planned for Microsofts Worldwide Partner Conference in July in Minneapolis. The program will […]

Each year tens of thousands of college-educated workers from outside the United States receive temporary work visas for skilled jobs that ostensibly would go unfilled by Americans. Holders of so-called H-1B visas gain entry into the United States for temporary assignments in “specialty occupations,” many of them in IT. Their U.S. employers pay a fee […]