Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News

      VARs, Its Time to Modernize

      By
      Pedro Pereira
      -
      June 15, 2007
      Share
      Facebook
      Twitter
      Linkedin

        It seems just about every week I get a pitch in my inbox for a new or improved tool to help VARs and integrators do their business better.

        This is worthy of notice because it wasnt too long ago that channel companies by and large were suffering from the cobblers children syndrome. While they were selling, installing and servicing some of the latest and greatest technology available, they were running their own business on outdated systems cobbled together over the years as necessity mandated.

        Probably in no other place does the maxim that “necessity is the mother of invention” live on as dynamically as in the IT channel. Here you have smart, resourceful folks who, as they faced challenges through the years, figured out how to apply technologies that in some cases were ahead of what vendors were developing.

        In the managed services space, for instance, now there is a vibrant collection of vendors that have developed platforms used by solution providers to remotely deliver IT services to customers. But before these platforms came into their own, a handful of providers already had developed homegrown systems to handle services remotely. They had already concluded that remote monitoring of customer systems opened up business possibilities previously unattainable.

        Of course, these managed services pioneers were the minority. In more cases than not, you would find that VARs and integrators were pretty much handling the business as they always had—focusing on the next sale or the next repair or service call to extract enough profit margin to keep going.

        Along the way, some folks figured out that channel companies needed to get better about running their businesses. Keeping track of service and repair calls on scraps of paper was not only inefficient but was actually hurting business. Without automation, it is difficult to keep track accurately of hours spent at customer sites and to bill properly.

        /zimages/5/28571.gifWhat should VARs know about firewalls? Click here to hear an eWEEK podcast interview with Deepak Thadani of Sysintegrators.

        Along came software developers such as ConnectWise and Autotask with automation for these processes and integration with managed services platforms so that solution providers could keep track of the business in unprecedented ways.

        Also along the way came tools to help channel companies keep accurate track of commissions and rebates owed them by vendors, analyze what customers buy and how they use it, keep records on maintenance contracts and when they expire, and manage lead referrals.

        In addition, marketing tools and services designed to help solution providers become more effective at identifying and retaining customer business have also become widely available. Traditionally, channel companies have practically treated marketing and business development as an afterthought, but as competition intensifies and the market becomes more complex, this attitude is changing.

        What more and more providers have found is that they must modernize; they must do for themselves what they evangelize their customers to do.

        With no shortage of tools with which to automate and make their businesses more efficient and professional, channel companies have little excuse not to finally cure themselves of the cobbler syndrome.

        Pedro Pereira is editor of eWEEK Strategic Partner and a contributing editor for The Channel Insider. He can be reached at ppereira@ziffdavis.com.

        /zimages/5/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, reviews and analysis on IT management.

        Pedro Pereira
        Get the Free Newsletter!
        Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
        This email address is invalid.
        Get the Free Newsletter!
        Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
        This email address is invalid.

        MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

        Latest News

        Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

        James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
        I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
        Read more
        Applications

        Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

        James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
        I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
        Read more
        Cloud

        IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

        James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
        I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
        Read more
        IT Management

        Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

        James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
        I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
        Read more
        Applications

        Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

        James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
        I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
        Read more
        Logo

        eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

        Facebook
        Linkedin
        RSS
        Twitter
        Youtube

        Advertisers

        Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

        Advertise with Us

        Menu

        • About eWeek
        • Subscribe to our Newsletter
        • Latest News

        Our Brands

        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms
        • About
        • Contact
        • Advertise
        • Sitemap
        • California – Do Not Sell My Information

        Property of TechnologyAdvice.
        © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

        Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

        ×