Jacqueline Emigh

Opportunity is brewing quickly in the fledgling world of content delivery networks (CDN). Experts believe that in about three years, business customers will invest heavily in content delivery services, which will handle video, interactive and other content that cannot yet run with current Web configurations. The CDN services market is projected to grow from $97 […]

Things must be getting tough. Within the past week, a horde of vendors have revamped their partner programs to put even more feet on the street selling or recommending their products. Vendors are reaching out to partners to help them grab opportunities in the small and midsize markets, which are often too fragmented for vendors […]

Remember when mobile commerce was the hot buzzword? Now a new set of wireless hopefuls armed with chutzpah and hype are throwing their hats into the tumultuous waters of the application service provider space. Get ready for the Wireless ASPs. Some industry observers foresee a brighter picture for wireless ASPs (WASP) than for their troubled […]

There will be stiff competition IBMs PartnerWorld conference in Atlanta this week. The twist: Most of the competition will be between IBMs own managers, as they vie to get face time with potential partners. “Its hard to have a single program that fits everyone. So underneath the framework of the IBM PartnerWorld program, each group […]

Agree to Disagree When it comes to the emerging business model of business service providers (BSP), nobody agrees on a precise definition. Just about everyone believes, however, that BSPs extend in some way beyond the basic application service provider (ASP) model of pure application hosting. The BSP acronym first began getting bandied about by industry […]

As wireless technologies filter into the corporate workplace, wireless vendors are turning their attention to systems integrators to broaden their reach across enterprise back-end systems. In some cases, wireless vendors are implementing their indirect-sales strategies to team with solutions providers who can influence a sale and handle the complex integration needs. In the case of […]

For many fledgling ASPs, its time to change. Early players now know that hosting general-purpose applications like Microsoft Word isnt going to pay the bills. Thats why many ASPs are spinning a new story and focusing on applications tailored to specific vertical markets—such as health care, retailing and manufacturing. Whats more, these new vertical ASPs […]

There are a few necessary steps you must take to ensure success, as you set out on the vertical solutions provider path: Choose your markets carefully. If youre already savvy about certain verticals, the selection process is a relative no-brainer. If you lack that industry expertise, youll need to complete a full-scale evaluation of potential […]

Business is booming for database vendors, but they are not sitting pretty. Theyre rolling into areas ranging from application servers and mobile/wireless to new verticals, creating opportunities for partners along the way. While database-centric vendors Informix, Oracle and Sybase are just now diversifying into new markets, Microsoft and IBM already are diversified. Industry leader Oracle, […]

Tivoli systems was on track to be a shining star in IBMs portfolio of acquisitions. But the luster has dulled to merely a distant memory. The developer of software for monitoring enterprise IT systems has suffered a streak of woes, including a massive brain drain and competition from agile newcomers that have eaten into its […]

Sometimes, it pays handsomely to partner. Just ask EMCs sales force. Under a new incentive program, EMC soon will give its salespeople financial perks when they ink customer contracts that include third-party systems integrators. The storage giant unveiled the program during a recent internal sales meeting, according to sources within EMC. The move opens the […]

IBMs software group continues to stumble, but Lotus solutions providers are worried about taking their own fall. Specifically, Lotus partners fear that they may lose some of their benefits when its partner program is folded into IBMs PartnerWorld for Software program. The software group was IBMs weakest performer in an otherwise fantastic Q4. Big Blues […]