Sharon Linsenbach

While Forrester Research’s updated IT Spending Outlook for 2008 showed dampened economic expectations, analysts say VARs won’t be affected unless corporate earnings take a dive. According to Forrester analyst Michael Speyer, IT spending tends to track two to three points higher than the U.S. gross domestic product. Even though Forrester revised its expectations for 2008 […]

Despite having no channel chief, Hewlett-Packard has soldiered on with more changes to its PartnerOne channel program. Stacey Wueste Davis, vice president of Solution Partners Organization partner development and programs, is the de facto head of HPs channel program, after Jim McDonnell left his position as senior vice president and general manager of HPs SPO […]

With the release of new Extensible Business Reporting Language taxonomies and Microsoft’s announcement Dec. 6 that it used the technology to file its quarterly earnings report to the Securities and Exchange Commission, XBRL is proving it is mature enough to warrant widespread attention and adoption. Microsoft is currently only one of 61 companies to voluntarily […]

CompUSA will close or sell all of its retail outlets and TechPro services business, the retailer and its new owner, Gordon Brothers investment bank, announced Dec. 10. Gordon Brothers, which acquired the retailer Dec. 7, said the store’s 103 locations will remain open through the holiday season but offered no further details on the closing […]

MPC is hoping a services agreement with Flextronics Computing will increase MPC’s supply chain efficiency and boost growth. The agreement, announced Dec. 6, is part of MPC’s ongoing strategic plan to increase its global reach, grow gross margins and reduce operating costs. Under the services agreement, Flextronics Computing will provide MPC with supply chain consulting […]

Analysts are taking much the same wait-and-see attitude toward Dell’s new channel program as the VARs Dell is trying to attract. “The measure of Dell’s success in the channel is going to depend on the success of the channel selling Dell’s products,” said Steve Tepedino, co-founder, president and CEO of channel consulting firm Channel Savvy. […]

Trintech Group on Dec. 4 announced it has attained Certified Partner status in the Microsoft Partner Program and added a competency in ISV/Software Solutions. Trintech is a financial and compliance solution provider for commercial, financial and health-care markets. Trintech developed a product “factory” that allows pieces of software to be “reused” and integrated into the […]

Avnet is encouraging channel partners to take chances on cutting-edge technologies and emerging markets before these markets become overrun by direct-business models. At Avnet’s Hewlett-Packard partner summit Nov. 28, the company’s president of global services, John Paget, told partners in his keynote speech that instead of “building business around the 5 percent of what is […]

With its core business on shaky ground, Dell executives said Nov. 29 that they believe their retail and channel strategies have been well received and will drive greater long-term revenue and profitability for the vendor. In September, Dell stirred speculation and controversy in the channel when it announced it would build a formal channel program. […]

Dell has named online office supply retailer Shoplet an official online partner, the companies announced Nov. 20, bringing Dell hardware and peripherals to Shoplets more than 2 million subscribers, the companies said in a statement. The Shoplet agreement expands on Dells aggressive push into the retail channel. Dell inked a deal with Wal-Mart in May […]

St. Joseph Health System, a network of hospitals in the Southwest with nearly 20,000 employees, is moving over to Microsofts Azyxxi unified health enterprise platform. The initial installation is the largest for the Azyxxi platform to date and will take place starting in early 2008 throughout St. Josephs hospitals in Texas, New Mexico and California, […]

Maryland lawmakers Nov. 19 approved a 6 percent sales tax on computer services, a move industry groups call harmful to business and service. The measure, among $1.3 billion in new taxes intended to close a $1.7 billion budget deficit next year, levies a 6 percent sales tax, beginning in 2009, on IT facilities management and […]